Artsmark
Using Art to Help Young People
Staffordshire’s Youth Offending Service has won a Gold Award from the Arts Council for using art to help young people who have broken the law.
This award is usually only given to schools and colleges. Staffordshire is one of the first youth teams to get it — and one of only three in the whole country!
What did they do?
13 young people took part in art workshops. They worked with real artists and used pastels and recycled materials to make portraits. Each person made two pictures:
- One showing how they see themselves
- One showing how they think others see them
What did the young people say?
“I liked the art classes. The artist listened to me and helped me show my feelings in a picture.”
“It made me think about my behaviour and the things I used to do.”
“I understand more now about how my actions affect others.”
“I want to stay out of trouble now.”
Other creative projects
Young people also joined music and video projects called The Sonic and Make Some Noise. These helped them share their stories in new ways.
What are the benefits?
Evidence supports the reality that involvement in education, training, employment and purposeful activity is what makes the difference to a young person’s life and are strong protective factors in preventing offending.
Our dedicated staff have been working to engage young people using art as a strategy to deter further offending.
We believe the arts have the potential to transform lives, promote social inclusion, and cultural citizenship.
We are proud to be one of only three youth offending teams in England to have achieved the gold standard which demonstrates the level and quality of the work produced by young people.
Staffordshire County Councillor, Pat Corfield, Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities said:
“Our youth offending service is one of only three youth justice settings to have received this gold accolade, and I am delighted for them.
The award clearly communicates the ethos of our youth offending service here in Staffordshire which seeks to re-integrate young people who are involved in the criminal justice system back into the community.
Many of these young people have complex issues, and it’s not always easy for them to consider how they feel. This use of art enables the young people to really express their thoughts and feelings and give them a focus to help them change their behaviour for the better.
The comments the staff and young people got from the Arts Council where marvelous, describing the project as exemplary. They also said that the project offered a stimulating and nurturing environment in which the young people could develop their artistic skills whilst giving them an opportunity to reflect and learn from the mistakes they have made in the past and the factors that may have led them to commit
