current projects

Oxfordshire Youth Theatre Collaboration
 

OYAP Trust have been driving this exciting collaboration between all of the youth theatres of the county, to share their resources, experiences, and to work together to bring new experiences and skills into the county since 1998. In 2008 we gained significant funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the Youth Opportunity Fund and the Chill Out Fund to deliver an ambitious year-long programme called ‘All Together Different’. This saw youth theatres working together to stage a residency with international circus, street theatre and physical theatre company, Electric Cabaret, during October half term culminating in a platform performance led by young people at the Mill In February 09. Additionally over the course of the year each youth theatre hosted a master class and hosted an exchange visit with at least one other youth theatre. The results of All Together Different were evaluated and together with a professional consultant. OYAP Trust produced a ‘How To Toolkit’ is available her to download for free.
 

Young Creative Leaders Training Programme (pilot)

OYAP Trust has developed an exciting new programme for entrepreneurial artists and artist managers who are setting out on their careers in the creative industries. During the programme our Young Leaders receive an intensive course of formal training in career development, working in schools, self-employment, understanding the wider cultural landscape, arts project management, fundraising and working with young people.

Alongside the core training a professional mentor works on a one to one basis offering support and guidance as these emerging cultural leaders shape their careers in the arts. With our network of creative practitioners original projects will be developed, delivered and evaluated with young people across the county. The Young Leaders will also be working towards a Gold Arts Award accreditation.

Through our investment in the career development of young emerging cultural leaders (aged 18-25) we aim to extend the reach of OYAP Trust and increase our ability to deliver high quality arts projects to vulnerable young people in Oxfordshire and beyond.

We are fundraising furiously to secure the roll out of the main programme to 10 emerging artists and artist managers. If you are interested in supporting the future of this programme with funding or the benefit of your skills and experience please contact us as we would love to hear from you.

Follow the progress of our pilot cohort on the OYAP Trust blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Becca Ritchie-Timms – Events Manager
Ellie Tranter – Set Designer and Fine Artist
James Lorraine-Smith – Painter and Graffiti artist
Zahra Tehrani - Musician

Are you interested on joining the next cohort of Young Creative Leaders in 2010? To look at the prospectus please click here.

Are you interested in becoming a mentor? Please contact us by email

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the project please email helen@oyap.org.uk or call us 01869 602560.

The pilot project would not be possible without the support of Creative Junction and Big Lottery Fund and the expertise of Oxford Brookes and Bucks New University.

Pimp My Bike

Pimp My Bike is a fantastic project that gives young people the opportunity to create an amazing piece of art that they can ride home on! OYAP Trust piloted the project in April 2009 and since then we have worked with young people here are the Courtyard, and across the county. Young people work with a graphic artist and bike mechanic to transform their bikes into unique works of art.

For more information and to talk to us about running Pimp My Bike in your area contact Liz admin@oyap.org.uk. To see more photos click here.
 

South East Youth Dance Network

OYAP Trust is facilitating a network of youth dance providers in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, part of a South East wide project funded by Youth Dance England and managed by Hampshire Dance.  Click here for details of the hubs in the South East and how you can get involved.

Reaching the Parts (RTP)

One of our longest running and most popular projects, Reaching the Parts is a mobile digital music production project. The project was established in 2001 to provide a music technology facility aimed at reaching the young people at risk in Oxfordshire, and to date we have worked with over 1000 young people. Reaching the Parts provides professional-standard music technology equipment, which is able to travel to any venue or setting. With computers, samplers, sound modules and DJ equipment, and the recording facility to make CDs of the work produced, young people produce their own music with expert professional guidance and facilitation. Courses are tailored to a group or individuals needs and the content is aimed at all abilities, no previous experience of music making is required. Participants working on longer courses can work towards gaining an Arts Award.

RTP now has an outstanding track record of working in a wide variety of settings and with a large range of partner organisations. Secure children's homes, isolated village halls, disability units, young offenders institutions, pupil referral units, youth clubs, young people on reparation orders and ISSP programmes as well as young people in the Looked After system have all benefited from RTP courses. Our partners have included Social Services, the Youth Offending Team, museums, schools, village halls, Youth Service, Music Service, homeless projects, drug projects and many voluntary youth organisations.

If you would like to know more or ask about sessions, please contact us.
 

 

Work with Looked After Children

Over the past twelve years OYAP Trust has been building a strong relationship with the statutory agencies working with Looked After children. We have seen the powerful impact of quality participatory arts experiences to change these young people’s lives. Although the arts are a powerful tool in the ‘at risk’ agenda, it is the quality of the arts work and the artists that has been the most significant factor in determining the success of the project. We always aim for a fantastic artistic experience first and foremost – the fact that we have the pool of skilled artists and a wealth of experience in this field allows us to access and meet the needs of young people at risk.

OYAP Trust is working with Children, Young People & Families, (Social Services) to make these projects possible, involving young people in the Looked After system from across the county:
 

• Hill End residential project. Multi-artform residential week, involving 15 artists, 20 volunteers, and 75 young people that are Looked After, with their outreach and support workers. Bronze Arts Awards are now successfully offered to young people on this project. OYAP works to ensure that this is an experience of the highest quality, and is a fun and rewarding life-changing experience for all involved in this unique event.
   

• Every year we choose a theme and the artists and young people and all of their support workers work together towards creating a spectacular young person-led performance, and this project has attracted significant interest at a national level.
   

• Celebrating Children. OYAP Trust will produce an annual celebratory event, with its project elements (performances made for the event). Looked After children are often ‘invisible’. Their achievements are well below the average, and are often forgotten due to the chaotic nature of their lives. The Arts provide a perfect way to make their achievements more noticeable and therefore valued, by their natural and foster families, but more importantly by their statutory parents, Oxfordshire County Council. The more visible, the more valued, the more supported the work becomes.

   

Arts Awards

We are now delivering Arts Awards as part of our projects. We are a training licence holder and Arts Awards Welcome organisation. OYAP Trust act as a sub regional development agency and have trained in local organisations such as schools, statutory agencies, and local authorities, for their artists and youth workers to become Advisors. For more information please contact Helen and see the Arts Awards website, www.artsawards.org.uk.

Artsplan Training Courses

Helen is a qualified trainer for Artsplan and delivers a number of training courses at OYAP Trust. Artswork have developed a wide range of relevant, practical, creative training opportunities for professionals and volunteers currently using or looking to use the arts with young people. Courses are consistently reviewed, evaluated and up dated to ensure the best possible training opportunity is provided. Participants are provided with a certificate of attendance upon successful completion of each. For more info visit the Artsplan website

ENYAN

The English National Youth Arts Network (ENYAN) is a membership body designed to create connections throughout the diverse youth arts sector at national, regional and grass roots levels. ENYAN aims to raise the profile and support for youth arts within England, and by doing so create more opportunities for the creative and personal development of young people, especially young people at risk. Helen is the chair of the South East Regional Advisory Panel (RAP), with the intention of raising the profile of youth arts in Oxfordshire, and raising awareness in Oxfordshire of opportunities that are emerging country-wide. www.enyan.co.uk