Project

CYP has gained and maintained a high profile through delivery of innovative and creative youth education. We run short and long-term programmes on various sites throughout the North King’s cross area. We have a timetable of weekly ongoing activities and in addition, run special projects and events. During school holidays we offer an extra timetable of diverse activities.

Over the last year we have established the premises at 165 Caledonian Road as ‘CYP Culture’. This is our shop-front and split-level space, which houses a programme of art, music, fashion, film, discussions and consultation projects for local young people, and a rolling programme of exhibitions. We are collaborating with other cultural providers in the King’s cross area, in order to widen the opportunities and experiences of the young people we work with.

The space was launched with ‘The Art of Football’. This multi-media exhibition took as its theme the football achievements of young people at CYP, to bridge the gap between sport and art, and to explore the creativity involved in both playing and appreciating football as a competitive sport. The show attracted 50 people into the building, where they were introduced to the CYP’s programme of activities, and enabled us to further develop joint projects with academic and cultural partners.

The downstairs workshop space has been utilised for completing local commissions, film screenings, small group sessions, meetings, training and mentors supervision to supplement Monday youth club at Blessed Sacrament Hall. In addition 165 is available when appropriate for supervised short sessions to support young people who want to make progress but don’t have a home situation which is conducive to study. Also, with other local providers for group work (with the harder to reach young people) on special projects i.e. ‘Scootalive’ and the ‘Only Connect’ film project. As we continue to raise funds for project work, the number of hours that 165 will be open for activities should increase.

Why it was created

The project, located in the Copenhagen Area of Islington works with young people from the disadvantaged communities in the Barnsbury and Caledonian wards, as there is no boys’ secondary school in the immediate area CYP is the main high volume provider of youth work and diversionary activities. We work with 450 young people aged 8-19 living in the area, many of whom are alienated and hard to reach

Specifically we deliver short term projects through CYP Culture to engage and progress local hard to reach young people who have not been encouraged to express themselves creatively or discuss the issues they face, and have inadequate guidance from parents or teachers about coping with the challenges of education, training and employment.

The project encourages young people access training and employment opportunities because it fills a gap in provision to help local young people- many of them NEETS- to improve their social and communication skills to prepare them to access further education, training and jobs. Our   established, and expanding Mentoring Scheme delivers structured work experience for mentors who want to work in culture and support for training employment and careers advice. It will also enable local business, cultural and academic organisations to fulfil their corporate social responsibility remit by providing a venue to access local hard to reach young people, to introduce them to ways of life, training and jobs that they can aspire to, instead of being submerged by a street culture of fear that values underachievement, and bestows high status on the worst behaved.

A list of partners (individuals or organisations) that make it happen:

London Borough of Islington section 106, Central and St Martins School of Art; Camden Arts Centre; Kings Place London Sifionetta; City Bridge Trust; Guardian Newspapers; Stephen Griffith CYP Senior Youth Worker Kirsty Patterson: Arts Development worker: Eloise Calandre Exhibitions/ promotion Gill Calvert Senior Manager

Points where the project looked threatened, how was this overcome?

In 2007 after two year funding from the Arts Council and funds and premises donated from the Guinness Trust, premises were demolished, and funding diminished, however we managed to relocate temporarily twice and were selected to create a float for the Lord Mayors Show 2007, also to exhibit as part of the Create Kings Cross arrivals Festival in the same year, with commissions and section 106 from LBI we were able to sustain the project, and have had a very successful year, since the move to   CYP Culture.

However, the CYP Culture project is threatened at the moment because key partners are no longer granting actual funds but only offering employees time, therefore it is very difficult raising the rent post April 2010, this initial grant will give us a slightly longer time to fundraise from business and if appropriate we would hope to make a more detailed application to meanwhile spaces.

Arts Programme outcomes:

2 young men got funding from the Without Limits Camden Film Fund, to make a music documentary, screened at the Renoir Cinema, Camden, November 2007. Commissioned by The Friends of Edward Sq and funded by Awards for All, 30 young people made artwork which was exhibited in the square; Commissioned by Islington Council and funded by Section 106 money 15 young people participated in decorating the Vibart Walk pitch (Summer 2008 and Feb-March 2009)

Music, funded by Youth Music: From November 2008- Jan 2009, 10 young people participated in 10 workshops of lyric writing and performance led by renowned lyricist Kenny Barakka. With music played by London Sinfonietta musicians, 4 of them recorded their poems for a sound installation, “the Art of News” in the foyer of Kings Place, York Way, during January 2009.

CSM Design Matters 7 young people were part of the Easter workshops we did in partnership with CSM as well a gaining certificates from CSM this course has won the Art Works Partner Award 2009.

Ben Kinsella: Sketchbook Copenhagen Youth Project (CYP), working together with the Ben Kinsella Trust, presents this exhibition of work by the aspiring young artist, who became a tragic victim of knife crime at the age of 16. Ben Kinsella was an inspiration to those around him. We hope this exhibition will encourage others and assist us in our action against knife crime.

Impacts of the project and evaluation processes

Local Impact

Delivering this project enriches our programme and helps to promote a vibrant cohesive community and develop trust between people by enabling residents and the businesses community  to appreciate the achievements of local young people.

Most are of the participants and local audience are residents on the Barnsbury, Tiber Gardens, Wellington Square Gdns (Naish Court ) and Bemerton Estates. The (funded) short courses that are offered in partnership with other providers are designed to raise aspirations and achievements outside of the school setting.

We measure footfall (500 + in 2009/10) at every exhibition by means of visitors book, which gives names addresses and contact details. We receive regular feedback from cultural partners, and through neighbourhood meetings. Most new visitors come from the central London or local Kings Cross area.

The CYP Culture project

• Bridges the gap between young people and the wider community by enabling parents and carers and workers to recognise the positive achievements of local young people
• It  builds confidence in the participants by seeing that their work is valued. The project  will  contribute to local renewal and regeneration by maintaining  dynamic youth exhibition space  on the Caledonian Road.
• Showcase the activities of the CYP and other local providers to potential business partners and funders
• Encourages more young people in the Caledonian area and in particular from the Barnsbury estate to take part in local youth programmes that relate to the developments at Kings Cross station.
• Helps recruit younger children to local programmes,
• Sustains CYP Culture space and maintain the small group workshops that enable CYP to deliver the programmes sponsored by City Bridge Trust, Only Connect, LBI Scootalive
• Consolidate partnerships with CSM, Guardian Newspapers, Kings Place as the youth organisation best placed to help young people from non-traditional backgrounds to prepare for and access arts and media education.
• Helps to lever funds from individual business, other large funders for sustainability of this provision longer term (i.e. Kings X Business Forum)

Since 2000, CYP has been the lead organisation of the Copenhagen Play and Youth Partnership (CPYP), a cross sector neighbourhood forum of local statutory and voluntary organisations who provide services for or have an interest in the welfare of local children and young people. The CPYP (alongside the Safer Neighbourhood Panel and the Caledonian Environment Task Force) is one of the three subgroups reporting to Team Cally, the partnership for Neighbourhood Management, chaired by a local councillor, this enables use to promote and receive feedback for CYP Culture

Apart from the definite achievements that young people make through special projects and short courses, which they have to have reached certain standards to complete, we also monitor each session to ensure that the behaviour and communication skills of all members are being challenged/ improved. At every session a register is taken (inc: age, gender and ethnicity of all attendees) and new members fill out membership forms. Session reports are written by youthworkers (inc: aims & objectives, outcome of session, forward planning). Where appropriate, mentors fill out feedback forms. This information entered into our database, enables quick and accurate assessment of attendance and progress made in improved social skills and recorded outcomes.

Budget/costs explanation

1 months running costs for ‘CYP Culture’ space

Income details

We received a grant through LBI section 106 for rent and equipment for year 1. Exhibitions and Small group work were also supported by The City Bridge Trust, The Home Office and LBI West Area Committee. (Further detail can be supplied)

A list of media clips, cuttings and websites/blogs etc. check cyp website/ facebook detailed below

November 20 2009 CYP Ben Kinsella: Sketchbook show reported in the Islington Tribune  ’Pick up paint brushes, not knives,’ by Conor Sheils

June 22 Stephen Griffith Senior Youth worker appears in Channel 4’s Dispatches talking about the complex issues that the young people we work with currently face.

January 2009 visit to CYP by Andy Burnham Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sports.

October 9th 2008 CYP’s Senior Youth Worker in conversation on the Paul O’Grady Show, Channel 4, talks about the current problems in youth culture, with Judge Judy and Dominic, a gun crime survivor, who has now become a volunteer Youth Worker.

July 15 2008 15 Stephen Griffith on Newsnight in discussion with Gavin Eisler and received an endorsement for the work from Richard Taylor of Nudge.

July 17 2007 review of the ‘Where do You Find Us? ‘Exhibition morning star online by Judith Amanthis "Artists in the hood" at www.morningstaronline.co.uk

Additional before and after photos are available here

Shop location: CYP Culture

165 Caledonian Road

London N1

Copenhagen Youth Project (CYP)

Office:

1^st Floor, West Library

Bridgeman Road

London N1 1BD

Contact Gill Calvert Senior Manager 07921 467 208

Website: www.cyproject.org access to facebook page through the website.

Or http://www.facebook.com/pages/CYP-Culture-Copenhagen-Youth-Project/78671273380?ref=ts