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FROM THE MARGINS
The challenge
Steps along the Bridge
THE BRIDGE
Our Model of Socially Inclusive Arts Practice
CLICK ON AN AREA OF THE BRIDGE TO FIND OUT MORE
A high resolution version of the
bridge is available here
Please note that the Bridge is something that we are seeking to construct.
Elements of the Bridge do exist, and a plan for full implementaion of
the model has been put together. However, the complete Bridge requires
resources that we currently do not have. If you would like to help us
in constructing the Bridge, please go to our Support
Us pages to find out more.
In the Who for and Where section of this website you will find information about our client groups. And
in the right hand column are links to some of our socially inclusive arts
projects that, while having been developed at the margins, have been,
or are being, presented in the mainstream to paying audiences.
THE CHALLENGE
The challenge for Escape Artists is to provide a clearly signposted and well managed route for our clients, enabling them to move from the margins of society to the mainstream. In order to meet this challenge the company is developing a rolling two year programme through which all the elements necessary to bring about an individual’s social inclusion are brought together. This holistic model for social inclusion through the arts we call 'the Bridge'. At the end of a journey across the Bridge, the aim is for clients to find employment within the cultural industries. This could be in any capacity: from working as a stage technician, roadie, or makeup artist, through to finding employment as an actor, workshop leader, administrator, mentor or journalist (to see interviews with ex-prisoners who have made this journey across the bridge, please go to Arts on the Out and visit the Interview section).
However, employment is not the sole outcome of the services provided. Escape Artists is aware that involvement with arts based projects can play a critical role in the personal development of excluded people (as indeed, with all people), and is instrumental in increasing confidence and self-esteem, improving capacity for collaboration, social interaction and self-presentation. Escape Artists recognises how participating in high quality arts activities develops a stronger sense of pride and achievement, and encourages clients to pursue education and training opportunities and to build up lasting support networks.
The Bridge, therefore, exists to ensure that socially marginalised people have an access route into the arts, and, furthermore, to ensure that - for those who have (or who are able to develop) the necessary skills, and who have the commitment - a structure is there that can provide them with long term bespoke support: enabling, although never guaranteeing, a route back to the mainstream.
Unlike many arts organisations that offer arts training we aren't too hung up about failure (in a sense, we expect it). We are delighted when our clients are successful, but we recognise that for many of our clients simply being involved in the arts can be an end in itself. There doesn't always have to be a progression to something else. Many of our clients come to us, enjoy themselves, state that they want to get on the Bridge, and then promptly fall off. We have got used to this. The important thing for us is to provide continuity of service and support. Our job is to be there so that, for instance, when a down and out, ex-prisoner has fallen off the Bridge for the fifteenth time we are still there when they want to have another crack at getting across. We will do our utmost to ensure that no one is ever excluded from attempting to travel along the Bridge.
In the words of Samuel Beckett:
Ever tried,
Ever failed,
No matter,
Try again,
Fail again,
Fail better.
STEPS ALONG THE BRIDGE
Group Work
Clients normally start with us through some kind of group work activity, usually at the instigation of a manager of an institution, youth or community group. To find out more about the groups that we work with, visit our Who For and Where page.
Presentations and taster sessions
These are performances, informal talks or short workshops, led by core members of the Escape Artists team, which aim to attract and recruit people to join an Escape Artists programme and take a first step onto the Bridge. These are tailored to suit the potential clients and are intended to give participants a taste of what joining an Escape Artists-led group would be like.
Workshops
These take place within specific environments (school, hospital, prison) at the request of the institution responsible for the client group. Workshops will be designed to meet the requirements of the institution and the client group. They can cover a range of art forms or a combination of art forms, and are designed to meet a variety of purposes. For instance they could be designed to introduce clients to a particular art form (video making, acting, music composition), they could be designed to tackle a particular social issue; drug-taking amongst young people ‘at risk’ for instance, or they could be one of our drama based Pre-employment Training programmes. Many of our workshop programmes can be accredited.
Community Productions (theatre, music and film)
Community Productions, currently being developed through Escape Club, compliment the workshop activities and provide a continuity of education services to client groups. Individuals who have been introduced to Escape Artists through workshops, and who are willing to continue their involvement independently can discover the production processes and develop the skills required to create amateur performances or video. Through community productions, people can begin to explore their particular interests and begin to forge a long term relationship with the company.
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT
It is at the assessment stage, that a client enters into a closer relationship with the company. After assessment some clients might decide, or it is made evident to us, that seeking to develop a career in the arts is not for them. It might be made clear, through the assessment, that another organisation is better suited to meeting their needs. Even if they don't continue along the Bridge a client is still welcome to remain as a participant in our Community Productions.
Assessment
Once a client has been identified as showing commitment to pursuing personal development through the arts, Escape Artists will perform an assessment employing the APIR support system (Assessment, Planning, Implementing, Reviewing). This system will enable staff to assess the client, across a broad spectrum of needs, and ensure that Escape Artists, in partnership with other agencies, is able to offer a bespoke programme of individual support. The APIR support system provides an established model of practice that can be applied, and shared with other agencies.
Mentoring and Accreditation
If a client’s assessment suggests that they would benefit from further training and support, then Escape Artists will initiate an intensive arts mentoring programme. This is tailored to meet the needs of an individual. The mentoring programme, which will also includes pastoral care, will be structured so it could take place entirely within the company if this is preferable. To support this process, the Company will draw on the expertise of other organisations in order to ensure the highest level of client support.
Escape Artists will encourage clients to gain some form of accreditation for the skills which they develop whilst being mentored. Some forms of accreditation will be delivered in-house, such as Open College Network qualifications, while others will be gained through local colleges or through specialist courses further afield.
The mentoring programme will accompany a client throughout their association with the company. The intensive element of the programme will last for approximately six months, and it is intended that, once a client has engaged with the company, less intensive support will be provided for as long as it is required.
Pre-employment Training
Escape Artists has created its own, drama based, Pre-employment Training programme that has been accredited through the National Open College Network. All our clients have to take our Pre-employment Training course (OCN level 2) before going on to the Professional Development section of the Bridge.
Training and Work Placements
An essential part of The Bridge is providing clients with real hands on
experiences of training and working within the professional arts. Such training
and work placements can take place either within the company (for instance
through our own in-house productions or through the Edge Festival) or without
the company. Escape Artists aims to provide as many opportunities within
the cultural industries as possible. These can include training and work
placements in theatre (for instance: acting, stage management, lighting,
box office, administration, lighting and set design), film (for instance:
runner, gaffer, sound assistant, makeup artist, editor, floor manager),
or education (for instance: workshop leader, mentor, trainer).
TO THE MAINSTREAM
