Odd Arts Annual Report Oct 2017 - Sep 2018

Odd Arts

Annual Report Oct 2017 – Sept 2018 This has been a significant year for Odd Arts, with a vast increase in projects, participants, and of course - outcomes. The year had a real focus on work targeting the cause and prevention of violence (in its many forms). We have also had the chance to take part in some International programmes and go back to our roots delivering Forum Theatre work inspired by the legendary Theatre Practitioner and Politician, Augusto Boal.

Odd Arts Vision and Values: Odd Arts uses specialist high quality arts to challenge, inspire and transform the lives of vulnerable and excluded people. Odd Arts works within the criminal justice, community and education sector.

Key outcomes include: ● ● ● ● ●

Increased engagement in arts and culture by disadvantaged groups Improved work based skills through accredited artistic opportunities Improved mental wellbeing including increased confidence and self-worth.

More cohesive and safer communities Reduced risk of (re-) offending

This year we were shortlisted for Forever Manchester’s Most Inspirational Group for their 10 year Anniversary. We were also shortlisted for the Spirit of Manchester ‘Equalities Award’.

Our Reach -

Flagship programmes Isolation to Radicalisation toured an interactive forum theatre performance and workshop to over 2000 young people in Manchester, on behalf of Manchester City Council and the Home Office, as well as a further 1500+ young participants elsewhere in the UK. The workshop was shortlisted for the Spirit of Manchester Equalities Award. The programme’s main impact was: -

Increased sense of belonging Increased critical thinking skills Increased empathy Reduction in hateful attitudes / behaviour Increased understanding in the process of radicalisation

Forum Theatre in Uganda: Sharing Stories is an innovative partnership between UK & Ugandan clinical psychologists, mental health service users and Odd Arts looking to share best practice in the reduction of mental health stigma in both countries.

We were lucky enough to travel to Kampala and stay in the city’s only mental health hospital to develop a performance aimed at reducing mental health stigma with current and ex patients and staff. We performed at Uganda’s National Theatre and used Augusto Boals interactive forum theatre techniques to ask the community what solutions they had to changing the way mental health is responded to in Uganda. Uganda’s Health Minister attended the performance and came on stage to try out some of her own suggestions for reducing stigma. For a read about this life-informing project please visit our blog: https://oddartists.wordpress.com/2018/07/17/forum-theatre-and-stigma-in-the-uk-uganda-is-it-mad-ifit-works/

Creative Reach was a project looking to explore safety and belonging in Manchester. It was designed following our post Manchester Arena Attack project ‘We Respond’ (please see link), also completed this year. We Respond - https://youtu.be/gdvFHBXnt04 Creative Reach explored an increase in fear in some communities, and an increase in stigma and discrimination towards other communities in Manchester. Creative Reach celebrated the diverse identity of many communities and individuals in Manchester and shared the work, including 3 films, photography, live theatre and art-work at Manchester’s prestigious HOME Theatre and Cinema. Creative Reach delivered projects with 9 different partners across the city including: Hideaway youth; Manchester Young Lives; Rathbone; YPAC; Manchester Youth Zone; BMCA; Trinity House; Lifeshare; and Forest Bank Prison Resettlement Unit. You can see some of the brilliant films created here: Rathbone & Company Chameleon - https://youtu.be/voXomQ6OZzs

Consequences -https://youtu.be/F4KdXPy2D4I

Lifeshare Documentary - https://youtu.be/JsDtE19W3YQ

Creative Reach delivered work with young adults with lived experience of homelessness, addiction, knife crime, the criminal justice system and exploitation as well as wider community members. It was a real celebration of the positive identities and feelings of belonging everyone deserves to have. With thanks to Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council for funding this exciting and inclusive piece of community cohesion work.

Higher Folds We delivered training with local Wigan artists and coached / co-delivered a theatre and film project in the Higher Fold community in Wigan. The project brought together disengaged or more isolated members of the community, into a leadership and creative role, engaging with all generations and cocreating a community film based on their relationship with the area.

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS

We were proud to receive the NHS Dragons Den funding to deliver a theatre programme for well-being within a secure mental health unit where participants developed their own theatre piece based on personal challenges they looked to overcome. The project saw excellent engagement, completion and accreditation rates and we are already looking to deliver more throughout the next 12 months.

U.S. Embassy Cultural Exchange on Countering Violent Extremism Our Director Rebecca was selected to take part in a US Exchange alongside other subject specialists from Greater Manchester. As part of the trip Rebecca visited many organisations in Washington and Boston including US Government departments and community organisations tackling radicalisation and extremism as part of increasing knowledge in both countries.

ONGOING PROGRAMMES OF WORK: We are extremely proud of the ongoing partnerships we have with many colleges, secure units, councils, Police forces, prisons and community setting organisations.

We have delivered our Award Winning theatre programme ‘Spiralling Mind’ to over 2000 young people in Salford aimed at prevention and reducing risk of self-harm, anxiety and mental health issues. We went on to deliver a new film project ‘Goodbye Primary Hello High’ to 1000s of primary children in Salford aimed at reducing the associated and evidenced stress related to transition from primary to secondary school.

We deliver weekly workshops in two NW Youth Justice Board secure units and are so proud of one young man, Corey Hewitt, who won the ‘Gold And Beyond’ Award at the Northwest Cultural Education Awards for the years of work in the arts he has completed with us, including gaining his Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Award.

We also deliver more locally in the Manchester community of Moss Side Millennium Powerhouse in partnership with Manchester Young Lives and Young Manchester. We deliver twice weekly free drama workshops as well as free specialist training for upcoming applied theatre practitioners and youth workers.

The Team We still count ourselves very lucky indeed to have such a talented and committed team of staff and Board members who really are the heart and muscle in enabling Odd Arts to have the huge reach and impact it does. We were thrilled to welcome Emily and Jess onto the team this year from freelancers to staff. We continue to have a fantastic team of actors who work tirelessly throughout the year performing productions around hard hitting subjects such as self harm, radicalisation, bullying and domestic abuse.

Here’s a rare snap of us all together; Jo, Kyle, Char, Emily, Jess, Rebecca

We have continued to create a number of socially impacting and community led films with Sherives Films and finally set up our own youtube channel...Odd Arts YouTube Channel

The Future 2018/19 already looks to be a year of further growth and innovation. We hope to hire 2 new team members and look forward to the exciting work we already have booked with existing partners and programmes including our work around radicalisation, mental health and violence. We will be delivering our new programme Resilience and Relationships in Forest Bank and HMP Lancaster Farms. Our new website will be launched this Autumn. Please stay updated by following us on social media!

Odd Arts

@oddartsuk

@oddartsuk