Past Projects

B.Y.E (Black Youth Experience)

The BYE (Black Youth Experience) steering group, offered support to African Caribbean young people, to develop their experiences and knowledge of other African Caribbean young people locally, nationally and from around the globe.

The group were fortunate to visit Jamaica in February 2004 as part of the Jamaican International Youth Exchange. The young people who were fortunate to be a part of this experience were able to gain first hand experience of how Jamaican young people live. They visited four schools, agricultural establishments and many dignitaries as well as some of the fabulous tourist attractions, eg. Dunns River Falls, Milk River Bath.

BODY MIND & SOCIETY

A project that focussed on body image for the young women who were participating.

It looked at the perceptions that have been brought about through everyday life. A variety of activities were available e.g. Fashion/Talent Show, Drama, Healthy Eating and many more. The young women documented each area of work in detailed exercise sheets which were brought to together with other young women's work, nationally - and developed into a work manual. The project was available in a documented format and the exercise sheets could be utilised for any group work.

BYE Heritage

This project developed, delivered and implemented a heritage resource pack through a series of workshops, aiming to disseminate the learning and experiences of a group of 2nd/3rdgeneration British-African Caribbean young people throughout the community. Engaging with the elderly community in African-Caribbean Care Homes.

The project researched into and dealt with issues that young BME people experience in areas with culturally diverse populations, primarily those of their heritage, identity and culture. The group received initial support through a workshop programme facilitated by 2 project workers, which built their capacity to develop the pack/website, and then implemented it with their target groups.

The group made connections and links with a variety of generations of BME citizens. They will seek to increase opportunities for learning about heritage through interacting with other audiences, including youth organisations, partner organisations, health service workers/users and faith groups, sharing good practice from their pack and website.

International Youth Exchange Projects

International Youth Arts Exchange

In July 2005, 48 young people from Jigsaw Dance theatre in Netherton, Dudley exchanged with ArtiXoc in Barcelona and Sort in Catalonia. The second exchange was with South Birmingham College with Youth Action Northern Ireland’s ‘Rainbow Factory’ in Belfast , together they all produced three pieces of drama and dance for this Youth Arts Project. The developing performance pieces were constantly performed at various venues such as The Asian Community centre in Belfast and Sort Town hall.

The project was initiated and managed by bayc shaped and produced alongside the Young people, workers and Artists involved.The exchange came from talking with Young People who wanted the opportunity to exchange with other groups internationally to explore culture and identity through Drama and Dance. It fostered their creative skills and artistic energy, through the development of working relationships with their international peers.

bayc hosted the return visit for all four groups involved in the Exchange in Birmingham from 8^th -18^th August 2005.

The highlights of their return leg were:

• A performance of their final pieces at the Birmingham Symphony Hall on August 12^th at 7.30pm
• A Drama Conference and Performance broadcast live on the internet at the Orange Studio (broadcast on www.C21vox.tv at 6.30pm)
• Project Evaluation on c21vox.com: bayc International youth Arts Project

All groups were supported by Youth workers and professional artists such as Round midnight theatre company and Jigsaw Dance theatre to develop their drama and dance pieces. Also the youth workers exchanged their youth work and artistic, social and professional skills to capacity build each organisation in Youth Arts and good practice in youth exchange work.

Quotes and Experiences

As a student and worker on this project, the biggest learning curve has been about gaining skills, practical and theory of youth arts I can use in the future from the other workers and the participants. Things we think we know already such as understanding different cultures, national identities and ways of life. From a organizational as well as Iv picked up so much , Iv defiantly grown professionally and personally.

I'd never been abroad or on a stage before , so both experiences have changed me, I've a big part in the show and I can speak a little Spanish! Its made me more confident, able to just get in there and try new stuff , if I can get on the stage in the Symphony hall I can do anything! Ill remember this experience forever!

Meeting all these people has been a fantastic, people I'd never get to meet usually, I've learned about Irish and English ways of life as well as some Spanish! We were all just thrown in at the deep end and it wasn’t scary, it was exiting a challenge! Also all the great jobs in Dance and theatre I thought were for other glamorous people I know I can maybe do now, this project will help me follow my dreams.

Dreams and hopes that fill our mind a future we all hope to find, Will I be Good enough for my Dreams? If I don’t try and Make them happen , I will never know, lets go!

View the exchange photo gallery

Just Ask Project Information

bayc was working in partnership with Birmingham Lifestyles from November 2005 to improve the volunteering opportunities available for Disabled young people. This Partnership evolved as a result of bayc’s work with a group of Disabled young people called 'Breathe' (see UK Youth Autumn 2006) who had clearly identified a range of significant barriers to social inclusion and articulately expressed their desire to create the changes needed.

The first phase of the 'Just Ask!' project, funded by The Russell Commission, produced a guide to engaging Disabled young volunteers. bayc and Birmingham Lifestyles supported three Disabled young adults and six Disabled young people in producing the 'Just Ask!' guide as a booklet with a supporting DVD. It was aimed at organisations and projects who might wish to create new volunteering opportunities for Disabled young people and who need some support and guidance to get started.

'Just Ask!' challenged some of the myths and stereotypes that young people who experience disability often encounter, whilst also offering ‘Hot’ Tips’ to help create new opportunities. It also contained a list of some of the key access requirements to get you started.

The Partnership was advised (September 2006) that they had been successful in a funding bid to V to move 'Just Ask!' forward in to a new phase of development aiming to bring the guide alive through workshops, designed and led by Disabled young people. This phase created 14 new volunteering opportunities for Disabled young people within the project over a 2 year period, and aimed to support up to 60 organisations in Birmingham and The Black Country thus creating 120 additional volunteering opportunities (2 per organisation).

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

Mothers and Daughters or (M.A.D) was an annual event is for young women and their mothers* in the area to come together, as a celebration of diversity, with a focus on health, creativity and participation. (* denotes all women who make a contribution to the development of young women). The day brings women of all ages together to experience some Complimentary Therapies (such as Reiki, Aromatherapy, Indian Head Massage, and Reflexology among others) and beauty treatments (such as Manicures, Facials, Pedicures, Hair Braiding and Threading) with qualified therapists at exceptionally reduced rates.

SAFER SURROUNDINGS - Safety Audit

Young women compiled their own safety audit of their local area, by walking the area, taking photographs and interviewing local residents over a number of weeks. They collated their findings and made a report which they collectively presented to relevant bodies that have decision-making authority for their area, i.e. Housing Development, Councils, Police. After the presentation a review date was arranged so that the young women could look at progress/developments and also ask further questions to the decision-makers about their commitment to ensuring that their surroundings become and remain safer. This project came in a documented format, and training was available for groups to compile their own safety audit.

What Is Forum Theatre?

It is an interactive style of theatre that enables audience members to overcome oppressed outcomes in there lives, motivating them to make positive changes.

It can focus on key issues that are having an impact or of interest to the young people and their lives e.g. Drugs, Safety on the streets. The group using discussion, rehearsal and research put together a short drama piece about the worst case scenario. In order to cope with audience intervention the group then rehearse various positive scenarios they think an audience would come up with to change the oppression and make the play positive.

This supports the participants to access key services, a safe place to explore possibilities, share stories and experiences in a safe space and a supportive environment enabling them to see themselves and there lives in a different way and later in the process also the audiences who participate.

It enables participants to develop artistic skills, progress to vocational skills key to enabling engagement to the world of work, education, training, communication, teamwork, leadership etc.

The next stage is to take the issue based drama to an audience. It is best used in situations were there is shared oppression with a participating audience and / or where the audience will feel a passion for the subject so feel 'stoked up' to make changes and want to make a positive outcome to the drama piece.

The drama is shown on the first occasion in full, then a 'Joker' (a member of the groups drama piece, named after the joker in a pack of cards who is objective and has no investment in any suite in the pack) will facilitate a short discussion with the audience. This will raise questions with them about the issues, the story and their opinions on the subject. This joker role can be scripted or improvised depending on the participants drama needs.

The drama will then be shown again, this time the audience will be encourage and hopefully feel a passion to shout ‘STOP’ to the drama at the points where they feel the oppression on the piece could change positively and come an intervene with there interpretation of how events should go. The joker facilitates this part of the show.

At the end of the piece another short dissemination discussion happens to look at the changes and ideas brought in by the audience. Finally research in either a pack (or other creative ways of collating) with pointers key services and information on the issue they have gathered during the production of the drama is left with the audience.

Young Mother's OCN Learning

Using the Open College Network, young mothers had the opportunity to gain 4 OCN credit in 'Positive Parenting'.

This project enabled young mothers to meet in an environment that supported their learning and the needs of their dependants.

They were given support to access some form of further education and are encouraged to work to develop the programme to best suit the needs of the group.

One of the modules was accredited through a residential that the young mothers plan and co-ordinate themselves.

Youth Involvement - Birmingham Youth Assembly

The Birmingham Youth Assembly (BYA) was a project supporting by Be Birmingham. The BYA was developed to provide a Birmingham wide network of young people and youth organisations that come together to explore and discuss key issues affecting young people in our city in a professional youth network environment.

AIMS

To establish a Birmingham wide Youth Assembly that will act as a collective alliance of young people and youth organizations that aimed to:

• Engage and connect young people across the city
• Identify, discuss and share what the key issues are for Birmingham's young people (13-25) as a professional of participation activity
• Development and training young people that wish to develop their active citizenship skills
• Create connections between young people that live in different parts of the city and have diverse backgrounds (faith, ability, ethnicity, experience).
• Provide young people involved in youth leadership and participation process a wider network of young people to support and inform their work.