Case Study: Future Creative

Future Creative is a Community Interest Company, working with children, young people and adults throughout the South East. The Future Steps project was funded by the European Social Fund, the Skills Funding Agency and the Young People’s Learning Agency. It ran in Kent and Medway in partnership with CXK. It focused on youth engagement and raising employability and enterprise skills among young people who were Not in Education, Employment or Training. Future Creative accredited the Future Steps project using Bronze Arts Award.

The project targeted minority groups such as, ex-offenders, traveller communities, looked-after children, and those leaving care.

The group met over a six week period for three days each week. During this time they had the opportunity to work with skilled arts practitioners who are also youth engagement specialists and positive role models. They supported the group to make connections with artists and employers in their local community. They worked in a range of art forms including music, visual arts, street art, sculpture, drama and craft.

Approach

Future Creative worked with a young parent group in Margate. In designing the programme, an initial assessment was carried out with each young person. Individual Learning Plans were then generated, which informed the content of the project. During the project the young people took part in a wide range of practical and creative activities which explored:

• leadership and management of people and resources
• marketing and selling their work and skills
• researching careers and pathways
• confidence building and body language
• time keeping and professionalism
• CV development
• event management.

Part A (explore the arts as a participant) – Young people actively participated in creative activities such as drama, graffiti and music workshops. This helped boost their confidence and improve their communication and people skills.

Part B (explore the arts as an audience member) – Young people had the opportunity to attend an arts event, then reflect on their experience. Additional to the criteria for Part B, young people researched local opportunities and planned the trip, including managing the budget and risk assessment.

Part C (arts inspiration) – As part of the project young people worked on their employability skills. Part C provided a creative way to engage with the group as they researched their arts inspiration, their education and career journey, whilst reflecting on their own life choices and creating a personal action plan.

Part D (arts skills share) – Future Steps aims to help young people to develop leadership skills so they can progress into further education or employment. Young people planned and delivered a community project as part of the course. Each young person had a clear leadership role and delivered a session to pass on a specific skill that they had used in the project, for example, the team member responsible for marketing and promotion created a ‘how to’ manual about using Adobe Photoshop.

Impact

By offering Bronze Arts Award as part of the Future Steps project, young people were able to build the skills employers are looking for, in a potential employee, such as leadership and communication skills. The structure of Arts Award gave the arts practitioners who delivered the project a clear framework through which work could be evidenced, and gave the young people a clear beginning and end point to aim towards.

“Future Steps has changed my life. I have gained the confidence to apply to Canterbury College and I am now fitter, healthier and happier with myself”.
Michael, Future Steps Participant

“I have managed to get onto a higher level course at college due to the portfolio and the confidence I gained through this programme.” Andrew, Future Steps Participant

“Working with Future Steps is rewarding and inspiring. This unique approach to learning work and life skills, allows the young people to achieve their potential.”
Tony, Future Steps Mentor and Artist