Young Voices is an innovative project delivered in partnership by Praxis Community Projects, Kazzum Theatre Company and Queen Mary University of London to develop leadership among young people from new, displaced communities whose “traditional” pathways to leadership have been left behind elsewhere in the world.
Young Voices at Chisenhale Art Place was facilitated by the current resident of our Education studio, Tom Hobson. Tom led six workshops over six weeks that explored issues relevant to young people living in London; their likes and dislikes about city life and their aspirations for their future. The processes used in the workshops helped the young people to become more confident in expressing their views and opinions in a more creative medium. Tom helped them to understand that through creative experiment they could gain new skills and learn new ways to interact with the environment around them. Activities included film making, photography, watercolours, collage and animation. After the workshops, Tom gathered together all the work produced by the young people to compile one piece of cohesive collaborative work that showcased each individual’s talents.
To view work from the Young Voices project CLICK HERE!
The Young Artist’s Studio project, an after school art project for young people aged 11 to 17 years old, which was facilitated by Chisenhale artist educators Kate Hardy and Kevin Harrison, ran for five exciting and eventful years.
It took place during term time in the CAP Education Space, with some workshops being held  also at Tate Modern, and at other galleries and drawing locations. Notably, the YAS artists were the first group of young people to be invited to the London Eye, for the sole purpose of drawing views of London from it. Some of the paintings they created as a result of the experience now hang in the offices of the London Eye.
The young artists created a huge number of art works, both individually and collectively. They showed and sold them at exhibitions they organised themselves in local galleries – twice at St John’s, Bethnal Green – and in the CAP Education Space.
Bella Ayres, Jose Huiboro, Uma Mahadeva and Ella Jade were volunteers who made a valuable contribution to the project. They received experience and training, and have moved on to use what they learned in the project in their professional practice as artists running young people’s art education projects.
The YAS received funding from The Peabody Estate, The Local Network Fund, The Jack Petchey Foundation, The London Eye, Help A London Child (HALP) and the Links Foundation.
The young people involved in the YAS project continue to develop their artistic skills as young adults. We are currently putting together plans for an after school club for children of Primary School age; the young people from the YAS will be involved in facilitating this, alongside professional artists. Watch this space for further developments.
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