Introduction This plan will take us forward into 2024. We will embark on this journey over the next five years with confidence, ambition, tenacity and kindness. We strive to continue to work alongside our community and cultural practitioners to do more of what works, make this the best it can be, and explore and test new ideas. We will continue to place the local residents at the heart of everything that we do with an awareness that our local community is hugely diverse. What makes WHALE Arts unique in South West Edinburgh is our approach to co-producing creative programmes with participants who live locally and with the artists, makers and designers who deliver the programmes. Over the period of this plan we aim to develop a genuine co-production methods which works
for our people and in our context. Artists encourage us to view the world in a different way, to look sideways, and part of our role is to facilitate conversations with diverse voices which spark new ideas and innovative ways of working. We aim to create more regular and ad-hoc face-to-face opportunities for local residents and artists to meet and talk together about art, ideas and creativity. We will continue to value the experience and unique perspectives of artists from outside the local area and will, over the period of this plan, continue to grow the pool of artists we bring into local projects. However, over the period of this plan we want to meet with the artists who already live locally. And we want to play a part in growing new artists, designers and makers from Wester Hailes.
“ Art helps us access and express parts of ourselves that are often unavailable to other forms of human interaction. It flies below the radar, delivering nourishment for our soul and returning with stories from the unconscious. A world without art is an inhuman world. Making and consuming art lifts our spirits and keeps us sane. Art, like science and religion, helps us make meaning from our lives, and to make
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meaning is to make us feel better. � - Grayson Perry
These may be young people but also adults returning to creative practice, or indeed starting for the first time. We are interested in how we can more cohesively support the progression of participants, who might become project support and in time might become the creative or technical lead of further activities. We are keen to achieve a balance of work that combines continuations of existing successful programmes with programmes that innovate and new ideas are crucial to our long-term success and we value providing the space and time to test new ideas. However, consistency, continuation and improvement of existing activity are equally as important: it is not sustainable or sensible for us to continually reinvent the wheel when we know something works.
Economic stability is a strong theme which runs through this plan. For us this means that we have a range of income streams, that we don’t rely on one source, that we have some long-term support for our core and crucially that we develop programmes and enterprises which can contribute to improving the economic situation of local residents, as well as us as an organisation. Finally, we are taking a dynamic and agile approach to this five-year plan. This strategy document is an overview and underpinning this is an operational plan. We want to understand and communicate how we think can make the journey to where we would like to be in five years. We will work together as a team and board, and with our members to continually revisit, revise and rewrite this plan and to pivot based on successes and failures. We are open to feedback and welcome warmly any conversations about the content of this plan. Leah Black, Chief Executive Michelle Herron, Chair of the Board
“ If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you always got”. - Anon
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The Wester Hailes Story Wester Hailes was designed and built in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Wester Hailes. With a population of about 11,500, the area is split into distinct neighbourhoods: Westburn, The Calders, Clovenstone, Murrayburn, Hailesland, Dumbryden and Harvesters. As an area, Wester Hailes has a complex and fascinating history, sometimes controversial, always thought-provoking. It is a place of social historical significance both in terms of its physical transformation and through the emergence of a strong community that developed in what was once regarded as one of the most sophisticated forms of community involvement in the UK. In the 1960’s the area was poorly designed with very little infrastructure and a lack of services and facilities resulting in community activism which was the means by which local people fought hard for
social change. Over the years housing was improved, new social housing has been built, new schools and nurseries were built, the Union Canal was reopened, greenspace and community gardens were established, and adventure playgrounds were built. WHALE Arts played a part in this and was founded in 1992 by the local community before moving into our current building in Westburn in 2000. Some residents still face challenges relating to health, employment, crime and housing however local people are proud of the area and many volunteer with and participate in a wide range of community projects. Residents and local organisations work together to build on the strengths and the positive aspects within individuals, communities and the physical environment.
“ When you’re a stay at home mum you lose confidence and sense of self. This group is like a
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bridge to getting your confidence back.” - Mums into Business participant
The WHALE Arts Story WHALE (Wester Hailes Arts for Leisure and Education) launched in 1992 and was originally based in the Blue Hut on the Murrayburn Greenway. WHALE was launched officially on August 7th, 1992, and saw a balloon launch, a hot air balloon trip as well as live music and street performers. Over the past 27 years WHALE Arts has grown, moving to a purpose-built home in November 2000, the same building the organisation works from today. 2017 saw celebrations for the 25th anniversary of WHALE Arts. 2022 will be our 30th anniversary and by the end of this plan WHALE Arts will be 32 years old.
The founding Objects are: • To advance education and knowledge of the arts among the people of Wester Hailes and the surrounding area, by delivering lifelong learning, training, and inclusive routes into further education and by becoming a best practice model of arts service • To promote, establish and operate other schemes of a charitable nature for the benefit of said people WHALE Arts continues to act as a conduit between our community and creative opportunities through the delivery of projects, programmes and events and by connecting our community with city and national cultural partners. The WHALE Arts Centre is a unique community asset that provides a range of high-quality creative spaces including an arts workshop, performance space, and digital media facilities for our community. We generate income through office and room rentals.
2018 - 2019 7165 participants and 12,104 participations in our regular programmes and activities
21 regular groups and 80 holiday projects and 32 one-off events in the WHALE Arts Centre and in other community spaces and places
92%
of our participants live locally
We work hard with partners to share and celebrate the quality creative and cultural projects that happen in the area - both designed and delivered by us, and others - and to build upon these successes to inspire and empower residents, workers, artist and designers to continue to provide solid evidence that creativity can drive social change. WHALE Arts works in depth across Wester Hailes and more generally across the wider South West of Edinburgh. We work alongside local people using an assets-based or strengths-based approach, building on strengths rather than deficits or weaknesses.
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Stronger Together Working Collaboratively – Locally Across Education, Social Work, Health and Housing We take an active part in a collaborative approach working with NHS and City of Edinburgh Council health and social care providers including local GP’s and social workers, the job centre, the local high school, primary schools, additional support needs services, the police, our local social housing association, a variety of third sector organisations, local businesses, and City of Edinburgh Council services such as libraries, community centres and early years centres. Locally we play an active part in Living Well Wester Hailes, a multi-agency collaborative leadership approach to reducing inequalities. We are one of the local founding members of the Wester Hailes Community Trust, established in 2016 after a local community-led Open Space event. We are actively involved with the South West Voluntary Sector Forum and participate in many networks related to youth work, children and families, social enterprise, health and wellbeing. We work with academic partners including Edinburgh Napier, Edinburgh College and The University of Edinburgh.
Working Collaboratively – City-wide and Nationally Across Arts and Culture We work in partnership with a range of national cultural organisations including a number of creative and cultural organisations across a range of art forms including visual art, craft, festivals, theatre for children, young people and their families, music, poetry and creative writing.
“ I feel more connected to my community, I make new friends and get to do some awesome art “ - smARTies participant
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How and where we fit We operate within the: Civil Society, Cultural Sector, Voluntary Sector, Third Sector, and Social Enterprise Sector. We describe ourselves as: • Community-led - we are embedded in our community, consult with local people, we are a membership organisation, we have local board members. • A Cultural Anchor Organisation - we are the conduit between local people, artists and cultural opportunities and organisations. • Place-based - we develop creative programmes and services that have a simultaneous focus on people living in Wester Hailes and the social, geographical, infrastructural, and economic factors of the area and the synergies between the two: people and place. • Building-based - we have responsibility for a building from which we run a range of programmes, activities and services which are largely free or subsidised and are tailored towards people from Wester Hailes and the surrounding area. We also use the building as an asset from which we can generate income which contributes to our running costs and our unrestricted reserves. • Strengths-based / Asset-based – we make the most of, and building on, the skills and experiences of local people and assets within the community. Because of this our services align with a range of local, national and international strategies. We have used these in the development of this plan, and will continue to do so throughout its lifetime. Over the next 5 years, we will focus on how our externally facing work aligns with the Scottish National Performance Framework and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Theme (External)
Across All Our Work
Health, Wellbeing, Happiness Economy, Enterprise, Learning, Skills
Places and Spaces
Scotland’s National Performance Framework (NPF)
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s)
- We are creative and our vibrant and diverse cultures are expressed and enjoyed widely - We respect, protect and fulfil human rights and live free from discrimination - We tackle poverty by sharing opportunities and wealth more equally - We are healthy and active
- Reduced Inequalities
- We have a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy - We grow up loved, safe and respected so that we realise our full potential - We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Good Health and Wellbeing
- Good Health and Wellbeing - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Mission, Vision, Values Mission: We create the conditions for our community in Wester Hailes to work alongside artists and cultural practitioners to become agents for change who will proactively co-design, participate in, support or lead quality creative activity at all stages of their lives. Vision: Wester Hailes is a creative, thriving, resilient, fair community. We Value: Equality; Equity; Diversity; Inclusion – we welcome everyone and strive to support anyone who wants to take part, we consider equity to be important as well as equality and we tailor activities accordingly when we can. Creativity – in its broadest sense and placed firmly at the heart of everything that we do we see creativity as a way of unlocking self-expression, problem-solving, learning and joy. Openness - we encourage generosity, kindness and facilitate the sharing of ideas. Tenacity - we are brave and ambitious for ourselves as an organisation and for the people we work with: we foster resilience and resourcefulness. Working Together – we recognise we are one part of a bigger system and that we will be more successful if we work with others who share our vision. Innovation AND Continuity – we celebrate and sustain successful initiatives but balance this with taking risks and trying new things.
“ I can’t believe people will actually see our arts! ” - Emily, 10 years old 8
The Strategic Aims and Objectives Themes 1.
Health, Wellbeing, Happiness
2.
Economy, Enterprise, Learning, Skills
3.
Places and Spaces
4.
Development and Improvement
5.
Data, Evaluation and Innovation
6.
Communication, Conversation, Coproduction
If we: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Create the conditions for health, wellbeing and happiness for our team and the people with whom we work Strive for economic stability and sustainability for our organisation and the people we work with through enterprise, learning, and skills development Build on the good things that exist already in our places, spaces and environment Value adaptive, agile, continuous and ambitious professional and organisational development Value data, design and innovation Strive to be a leader in our field through communications, influencing and advocacy and be the very best we can be at genuine co-production of programmes and activities
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By 2024 Health, Wellbeing, Happiness
Health inequalities have been reduced locally. We have a diverse, committed team who report positive wellbeing and who have the space and time to develop new ideas.
Economy, Enterprise, Learning, Skills
Local people have new skills and will be adept applying these into creative enterprise or employment and some of these people and businesses will be working from or with WHALE Arts. We have a mixed and sustainable economic model and all core costs are covered through enterprise income.
Places and Spaces
Wester Hailes is a vibrant and creative place with local people participating in, supporting and leading creative activities across the area with WHALE at the creative heart and the area is filled with art, making, play spaces and colour fueled by many diverse voices.
Development and Improvement
We have a well-used and well-designed building which we make good use of, with appropriate staff to sustain this. Staff and freelance artists better reflect the local community and local aspiring artists will be supported through a range of professional and practice opportunities.
Data, Design, Evaluation and Innovation
We are excellent at evaluation and data analysis and we use data to drive innovation, design better activities, and understand clearly what this means to us, local people and the area.
Communication, Conversation, Co-production
We have a new visual identity and online presence, and are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for our work. We have a tried and tested methodology for co-producing programmes, services and projects which combines the needs, ideas and ambitions of local people, artists and staff.
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AIMS Health, Wellbeing, Happiness
a. To improve health, wellbeing and happiness of local citizens and members through arts, creativity and innovation (external) b. To support the wellbeing of our people (internal)
Economy, Enterprise, Learning, Skills
c. To improve economic prospects of local citizens and members through developing creative enterprise, learning, and skills development opportunities (external) d. To improve the economic sustainability of our organisation (internal)
Places and Spaces
e. To increase and sustain the pride that local citizens feel for the local geographical area through community based participation in the arts and creative placemaking (external) f. To improve the environmental sustainability of our organisation (internal)
Development and Improvement
g. To maintain good governance and improve professional and practice development of our people and improve our physical assets
Data, Design, Evaluation, Innovation
h. To improve the way we use data and evaluation to design and drive incremental and transformative innovation
Communication, Conversation, Coproduction
i. To sustain open and regular communication and conversation on a local, national and international level with many and varied voices so that we are genuinely good at coproduction and we become a leader in our field using our voice to influence policy and strategy and advocate for our community and our work
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Our Goals Our Vision: Wester Hailes is a creative, thriving, resilient, fair community Our Mission: We create the conditions for our community in Wester Hailes to work alongside artists and cultural practitioners to become agents for change who proactively co-design, participate in, support or lead quality creative activity at all stages of their lives.
The changes we want to see Health, wellbeing and happiness are improved
People have reduced stress levels
People are more connected
Barriers to access removed
Access to and understanding of healthy food
Economic prospects are improved
People are more entrepreneurial
Increased employability
Pride in local area is increased
Increased ownership
Increased participation
Increased skills
People have an increased sense of purpose
How we aim to achieve our goals Regular creative programmes
Community meals
Business and enterprise skills
Jobs at/ through WHALE
Creative interventions
Partnership projects
Volunteers (incl. Garden)
Basic & advanced digital skills
Creative learning projects
Co-design creative placemaking for the long-term
Creative sessions
Events
1. Health, Wellbeing, Happiness What We Do Now: We create diverse and dynamic creative programmes which have expressive, restorative and therapeutic and educational purposes, and which are also preventative, enhance recovery and improve the quality of life for people with long-term conditions. In addition, we create opportunities for people to come together with artists to make art together and have happy, joyful, magical creative experiences. How This Fits into The Local Picture: We work closely with locally based community health organizations including The Health Agency and local GP’s and take part in our local place-based health collaborative Living Well Wester Hailes. We were a founding partner of Tasting Change, a multi-agency collaborative approach to reducing food insecurity in Wester Hailes. We work with our local Social Prescriber to identify gaps in provision based on local demand. How This Fits into The Bigger Picture: The NHS and the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board are committed to taking a whole-system approach to promoting good health and activity and community based health and wellbeing plays in integral role in this. The UK wide Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance outlines that ‘Creative activity has long been known to have tangible effects on health and quality of life. The arts, creativity and the imagination are agents of wellness: they help keep the individual resilient, aid recovery and foster a flourishing society’. A Scottish Cross Party Group on ‘What can arts and culture do for health inequalities?’ in Scotland led by Voluntary Health Scotland highlighted the importance of recognising of arts and culture as a means to health improvement through social prescribing and directing resources to community based arts programmes.
AIMS: a. To improve health, wellbeing and happiness of local citizens and members through arts, creativity and innovation (external) b. To support the wellbeing of our people (internal)
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS: External: • Use data and evidence of wellbeing impacts to improve and continue our own existing creative wellbeing programmes for adults and young people which support wellbeing long-term • Coproduce, develop and deliver new creative wellbeing programmes based on data, evidence ideas, need, demand • Continue existing and develop new annual partnerships with external partners who deliver creative health and wellbeing programmes at WHALE Arts Internal: • Socialise and interact as a team in different ways • Allocate appropriate resource to projects and core work • Strive to support flexible working within the parameters of being building and place-based • Develop a manifesto for respect and kindness
2. Economy, Enterprise, Learning, Skills What We Do Now: Our current enterprise activity flows from our asset, the building from which we operate. We generate unrestricted income from the co-working space, office rentals, event space rentals and ad-hoc room bookings. In recent years we have coproduced two enterprise programmes for local residents: The Whale Pod and Mums into Business, both initiatives set up to support local creative industries and community enterprise activity. How This Fits into The Local Picture: Our work will complement opportunities for local people to volunteer within community gardening, growing, cooking and catering projects to develop skills and potentially move into employment. We have recently worked with the Job Centre and Business Gateway who have provided support for local residents interested in setting up businesses. Our work under this theme will complement that of services provided by CHAI and others who provide an employability programmes for young people. How This Fits into The Bigger Picture: Inclusive Growth features heavily in current UK and Scotland strategies. Through the period of this plan we aim to work out what this means for us and the people we work with in Wester Hailes. The Scottish Social Enterprise Strategy positions social enterprise as central to achieving our shared vision of a fair society and inclusive economy. Creative Scotland’s Creative Industries Strategy supports ‘Increasing Inclusivity - recognising the value of local trading and place-based partnerships’. The Edinburgh and South-East City Region Deal is committed to supporting improved career opportunities for disadvantaged groups. And the Scottish Government Economic Strategy is focused on lifting children and families out of poverty, driven by their vision of genuinely inclusive economic growth through the action plan ‘Every Child, Every Chance’.
AIMS: c. To improve economic prospects of local citizens and members through developing creative enterprise, learning, and skills development opportunities (external) d. To improve the economic sustainability of our organisation (internal)
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS: External: ● Develop annual programme of projects with our community and artists and designers which explore creative skills development for enterprise or employment and deliver programmes that explore creativity, learning and the future of work ● Test the provision of flexible and affordable creative work spaces along with quality creatively-led / artist-led childcare ● Create paid opportunities for local people in key roles within our current and future creative enterprises Internal: ● Maximise income from our current assets ● Asset Transfer of land on which our building sits ● Provide quality services - coworking, office rentals, external hires, events. Retain existing customers by providing the best service possible to our current customers - tenants, external room hires; ● Explore and test new creative social enterprise activities – by 2024 have at least one self-sustaining creative social enterprise ● Diversify income streams - looking at community shares, crowdfunding, social investment ● Maintain reserves at minimum of 6 months running costs
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3. Places and Spaces What We Do Now: Our first Creative Placemaking Project will be complete in 2020 – this is an inclusive and developmental approach to improving the local assets and facilities through participation in creative activities and the coproduction of public artworks. In 2018/19 we worked on Making Places Westside Plaza as a local partner of the Wester Hailes Community Trust working with Harrison Stevens (Urban Designers) to coproduce a future vision for the Westside Plaza (shopping centre and plaza in the centre of the area). This is now moving into the next phase with City of Edinburgh Council implementing the plans. How It Fits into The Local Picture: We work closely with our local community housing partner Prospect across a variety of projects. There are a number of community growing projects in Wester Hailes such as Edible Estates, Grassroots Remedies and Calders Community Garden, our volunteer community gardeners are involved with these other local projects and we will continue to work with them to ensure that our work is joined up and based on the Place Principle. We are a founding partner of the Wester Hailes Community Trust (WHCT), established in 2016 after identifying local priorities at a community-led Open Space event. The WHCT is a local trust led by local residents and we continue to play an integral part in ensuring local people access seed funding for projects which will improve Wester Hailes. How It Fits Into The Bigger Picture: Our placemaking work aligns with the Place Principle and everything we develop and deliver is achieved by involving local people in every aspect of our work and working collaboratively with cultural, public and third sector colleagues to take a more joined-up, collaborative approach to services and assets within a place to achieve better outcomes for people and communities of Wester Hailes.
AIMS: e. To increase and sustain the pride that local citizens feel for the local geographical area through community based participation in arts and creative activity (external) f. To improve the environmental sustainability of our organisation (internal)
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS: External: • Complete Creative Placemaking Project (concludes in Sept 2020) • Develop and deliver a subsequent annual programme of Creative Placemaking across Wester Hailes with one annual event or tradition held in the community - integrated and interwoven with other projects, bringing ideas and people together, encouraging mass participation and volunteer activity • Work with local partners to initiate and co-lead on a 10-year vision for Wester Hailes as a culturally and economically sustainable creative place, building on the strengths and assets that exist Internal: • Appoint 2 Green Champions - 1 staff member and 1 board member and use the Creative Carbon Scotland Green Arts Portal to measure and reduce carbon emissions (consider roof garden, solar /wind, travel to work) • Develop programmes and projects accordingly, in time
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4. Development and Improvement What We Do Now: Although we operate from a structurally sound building, this building is almost 20 years old and requires improvements to adapt to changing uses and needs. We support and train staff, freelance artists and our board. However, we have an unwavering belief that the best way to move forward is to continuously improve and iteratively test initiatives that will contribute to significant and ambitious change further down the line. How This Fits into The Local Picture / Bigger Picture: We are the only arts centre in Wester Hailes and through working collaboratively locally we will continue to ensure that the programmes we coproduce are complementary to existing non-arts projects.
AIMS: g. To maintain good governance, support professional and practice development of our people, and adaptive, continuous and ambitious development of our organisation and our assets
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS: • • • • •
Building: invest in core building improvements Building: research, plan, coproduce and undertake capital development Staff: allocate annual budget for professional development Governance: improve standard procedures and build time for training and board development Freelancers: design and test a programme of activity for professional artists and designers to learn and develop skills in socially, community-engaged, place-based practice
“ This group...gives me the scaffolding to release my creativity. It is the most socially encouraging learning environment I have ever been in.” - Poetry group participant
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5. Data, Design, Evaluation, Innovation What We Do Now: We evaluate our activities, collect qualitative and quantitative data for annual reporting and for funders. How This Fits into The Local Picture / Bigger Picture: Through the City Region Deal Edinburgh has an ambition to become the Data Capital of Europe. We want to play a part in understanding how communities like ours in Wester Hailes can contribute to and benefit from this and how we can use design and data to drive social innovation.
AIMS: h. To improve the way we use data, evaluation and design to drive incremental and transformative innovation
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS: • Create and implement an organisation-wide evaluation plan through taking part in a three-year contribution analysis pilot • Define what innovation and data-driven innovation means for us, in our context and test this where appropriate • Intentionally create space and time for staff, board and volunteers to play, develop and test new ideas and new projects
6. Communication, Conversation, Coproduction
What We Do Now: We actively use social media and we send a monthly e-newsletter. We meet once a month with our members for breakfast and have an open source Ideas Library which forms the basis of our members’ meet-ups. We co-produce and co-design programmes in a range of ways, if our programmes are not co-designed from scratch, we establish local resident steering groups to ensure our activities include local voices. How This Fits into The Local Picture / Bigger Picture: The only way we will genuinely empower local people to become agents of change is by designing programmes and projects in an equal and reciprocal way between professionals (including artists), participants, and local people. There are many models of excellent co-production that we would like to learn from including guidance from the New Economics Foundation and Scottish Co-production Network.
AIMS: i. To sustain open and regular communication on a local, national and international level with many and varied voices and be a leader in our field using our voice to influence policy and strategy and advocate for our community and our work
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS: • Develop a method of co-production that works for us, in our context and with our people • Practise open and regular online communication including sharing works in progress, success and failures • Maintain regular (monthly) members breakfasts and other meet-ups to generate ideas and coproduce activities • Start regular freelance creative practitioners meet-ups • Be present and communicate our work at conferences and events locally, nationally, internationally • Be a visible and active member of a range of community of practice networks (i.e. Creative Learning, Health and Wellbeing, Social Enterprise, Placemaking) • Co-produce and launch a new brand / visual identity and online presence
“Great community space with brilliant people running it.” 18
30 Westburn Grove | Edinburgh | EH14 2SA www.whalearts.co.uk | info@whalearts.co.uk 0131 458 3267 facebook.com/whaleartsagency @whale_arts @whale__arts digitalsentinel.net Credits
Photography: Ollie Benton; Paul Cowan; Sally Jubb Design: Laura Delahunt WHALE Arts Agency is a company limited by guarantee (SC180118) with charitable status (SC020305)