The newsletter for arts organisations working in criminal justice
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In this month's issue...
- National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance news
- Events and training
- Arts and criminal justice news
- Resources & publications
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National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance news
Chris Johnston
Arts and criminal justice pioneer Chris Johnston sadly died peacefully on Monday 23rd January 2017 after a struggle with cancer. Chris was the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the creative company Rideout, who have worked in criminal justice settings for over 20 years. Their inspirational projects, such as Go to Jail and The Argument Room, challenged audiences to think differently. Chris was also the founder and Director of Insight Arts Trust between 1989 and 1999, and he authored a number of books which have impacted greatly on arts in criminal justice practice, including the influential House of Games: Making Theatre from Everyday Practice. Chris was an original member of the Arts Alliance and we would like to pay a special tribute to his work promoting creative practice in criminal justice settings for all. Chris always challenged the Alliance to be radical, creative and truly representational. His passion and commitment to the voice of artists, practitioners and people in the Criminal Justice System was inspirational and remains at the core of what the Alliance tries to do. For that, we owe him a great deal. We are all wishing his family and friends condolences at this sad time.
Help shape the future of the NCJAA: apply to be on our Steering Group
We are looking to elect four members to our Steering Group for the year 2017-18. This is a fantastic opportunity to be more involved in our work and in arts and criminal justice more widely. The Steering Group meet a minimum of five times a year to represent the membership and set priorities for the NCJAA. If you are interested in applying to stand for election, please submit a statement of interest of no more than 200 words to kate.davey@clinks.org, outlining your skills and interests in arts and criminal justice, by 5pm on Wednesday 8th February 2017.
Book now for our Annual Meeting - 1st March 2017
We will be holding our annual meeting on the afternoon of 1st March in London. Our annual meetings provide an opportunity for our members to come together, learn about the current policy landscape and share good practice in arts and criminal justice. We will also look back at our achievements as a network and elect a new Steering Group who will work collectively to support the work of the Alliance and establish new priorities for the coming year. Click here to book.
Just under a week left to tell us what you think of our work!
You have until 31st January to tell us what you think about the work of the NCJAA, and to share your thoughts about the wider arts and criminal justice sector. Your responses to the survey will be used to shape our future work so we can continue to provide the best support for you. Click here to take the survey.
Shutter stories: prison life through the lens
On 7th December 2016, we held our annual Anne Peaker lecture at Intermission Theatre, London. The event focused on the use of photography and film in criminal justice settings, looking at how different media can reveal life behind prison doors. Looking back at the event, our Chair Alison Frater has written a reflective blog. "Working with men in the prison, he created pictures that were extraordinary. They revealed ambiguity. These simple blurred images enabled a conversation about identity - not 'who I am' but 'who am I?' These troubling photographs suggested internal conflict, a shared humanity otherwise unseen, only made possible because of the prison context." Click here to read the full blog.
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
We will be sending our next newsletter on Thursday 23rd February. Please email kate.davey@clinks.org with any submissions by Tuesday 14th February.
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Events and training
Odd Arts and Hercules Productions issue-based workshops
8th February - 9th September 2017 | Various locations
Odd Arts is working in partnership with Hercules Productions to deliver issue-based workshops relating to Prison Game, a touring physical theatre production that gives an insight into the life of one of the first generation of 'starred up' criminals in the UK, and how prison can define a man. For booking information, please contact kyle@oddarts.co.uk.
Prisons in England and Wales - priorities for reform following the White Paper
20th April 2017 | Central London | £210 + VAT
Organised by the Westminster Legal Policy Forum, this discussion is timed to coincide with the Government taking forward key measures outlined in its recent Prison Safety and Reform White Paper. This includes two proposals to invest in estate modernisation, publish prison performance data, and deliver great governor autonomy, and will bring out latest thinking on their long-term implications for standards, and governance and safety across the prison estate. The conference will bring together members of the Houses of Parliament, senior government officials involved in this area of public policy, as well as prison governors and staff representatives, local government officials, service and outsourcing providers, charities, employers, training providers, health practitioners and service-user networks, as well as academics and reporters from the national and trade press. Click here for more information.
Cultural funding in England
27th April 2017 | Central London | £80 - £210
This seminar from the Westminster Media Forum will focus on cultural funding in England: the new financial landscape, diversifying income streams and policy priorities. It will examine next steps for tackling the funding challenges facing the cultural sector in England, and the latest progress in implementing proposals set out in the Culture White Paper. Sessions will consider the way forward for securing a fair balance of public investment across England and promoting effective financial governance within the sector, with particular focus on mitigating the impact of further predicted reductions to local authority, grant-in-aid and lottery funding to support a sustainable and competitive sector moving forwards. Click here for more information.
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Arts and criminal justice news
Orchestras for everyone: symposium summary
On 23rd November 2016, Orchestras Live held a symposium to examine the barriers that face people when accessing and engaging in high quality orchestral performances. In her summary of the day, Orchestras Live's CEO Sarah Derbyshire notes that "there was collective agreement that more concrete collaboration and joint action across those represented in the room would create a critical mass of activity with positive momentum to drive change. One conclusion from the symposium which is abundantly clear is that our sector recognises that the time for debate is well and truly over. We need, and want, to move towards sharing information and learning in order to embed best practice across our organisations." To read a full summary of the day, please click here.
Prosper programme will give arts organisations business advice
A business support programme aimed at strengthening the resilience and investment readiness of arts organisations, museums and libraries in England will be launched this year. The Prosper programme will provide free one-to-one business advice, workshops, masterclasses and webinars, and will establish an online business support resource. It will be delivered by Creative United in partnership with the Arts Marketing Association and the Centre for Business in Society, following an Arts Council England grant. Click here for more information.
Three things the voluntary sector can do towards creating safer prisons
Clinks' Prison Engagement Development Officer, Lou Clark, has written a blog outlining how the voluntary sector can work alongside prison staff to develop safer prisons for everyone. Lou suggests negotiating working arrangements with prisons to agree staffing levels and review risk, getting up to date on knowledge of new psychoactive substances and engaging with senior members of prison staff to better understand prison strategies and processes. Click here for more information.
Culture Select Committee calls for more funding outside London
MPs have called on Arts Council England (ACE) to invest more of its Grant in Aid funds outside of London. A new report by the Culture Select Committee, which has been examining access to public arts money, says not enough is being done to rectify the regional imbalance in funding. It also calls on Government to incentivise private and corporate giving to the arts, particularly in regions outside of London, and for national cultural institutions to take on a bigger role supporting smaller organisations. Click here to read the report.
The William Wates Memorial Trust funding
The William Wates Memorial Trust is a not for profit organisation based in London and the South East working with disadvantaged young people. The Trust provides grants for projects that help the most disadvantaged 5 - 19 year olds. The aim of the Trust is to encourage disadvantaged and vulnerable young people away from anti-social behaviour and criminal activity and to fulfill their potential. This is mainly achieved by supporting charities that engage young people through sport, art and education. To be eligible, applicants need to be registered charities or not for profit organisations with a turnover of less than £350,000. The maximum grant is £10,000 in the first year, with decreasing amounts in the second and third years. The deadline for the next round of applications is 10th March 2017. Click here for more information.
Hull is the UK's City of Culture for 2017
Hull was announced as the winner of the UK City of Culture 2017 in 2013. The award is given every four years to a city that demonstrates a belief in the transformational power of culture. The arts and cultural programme for the year celebrates the unique character of the city, its people, history and geography. In 2017, the programme runs until 31st December and is split into four seasons, each with something distinctive to say. Click here to read more.
Scottish Prison Arts Network are looking for a freelance Artist Producer
Scottish Prison Arts Network (SPAN) are looking for a freelance, part time Artist Producer for a 10 month period to be responsible for producing and facilitating a programme of three creative conversations bringing together a range of culture and criminal justice stakeholders from the arts and criminal justice sectors in Scotland. The creative conversations are designed to help SPAN and potentially new and existing stakeholders or partners to focus on specific or identified issues that the sector faces, from changes in criminal justice services to supporting mainstream arts organisations in becoming more aware of addressing equal opportunities and exploring through-care. The deadline for applications is 5pm, Monday 13th February 2017. Click here for more information.
Ways of living: unlocking young people's potential
For three weeks in August 2016 six young people at Hillside Secure Unit and eight people at Bridgend Parc Prison YOI were engaged in intensive artist led Summer Arts Colleges. Funded by the Foyle Foundation and managed by engage Cymru in partnership with Unitas, the activites included literacy, numeracy, digital and research skills. These were inspired by the young people's interests, which motivated them to turn up for sessions, even when external factors seemed to prevent this. Without exception, all the young people achieved a Bronze Arts Award. The learning from these projects will be shared in an evaluation report to be published in March, with training and resources being developed throughout 2017. Click here for more information on engage Cymru.
Geese Theatre Company is looking for a female actor/groupworker
Geese Theatre Company is a team of actors and group workers who present interactive drama and conduct workshops, staff training and consultation within the Criminal Justice System and wider social welfare area. Over 30 years, the company has earned an international reputation for innovative work with marginalised groups. With a growing portfolio, Geese now require an additional female actor/groupworker (exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1) to deliver across the full range of performance, workshop and groupwork programmes. The company provides six months training and a starting salary of £20,000. The deadline for applications is 10am, 13th March 2017. Click here for more information.
Unlock Drama are looking for drama facilitators
Unlock Drama deliver tailor-made drama projects across the prison estate, and they are currently for freelance drama facilitators with experience of delivering theatre in prisons or young offender institutions. Facilitators must have fully enhanced Home Office clearance and a recent DBS. Successful applicants will be kept on file to be contacted as and when required. If you are interested in applying, please email rebecca@unlockdrama.com with your CV and covering letter. Click here for more information about Unlock Drama.
Public consultation on new expectations for adult male prisoners
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) is inviting responses from interested stakeholders on their new expectations for adult male prisoners. HMI Prisons is an independent inspectorate with a statutory duty to report on the treatment of and conditions for prisoners. They conduct their inspections using a set of independent criteria underpinned by international human rights standards, known as Expectations. Take the online survey here.
OLASS contract and funding mechanism becomes more flexible
On 1st October 2016, the OLASS contract and funding mechanism changed to incorporate much greater flexibilities. As well as the current funding for individual qualifications and for the universal assessments of literacy and numeracy, there are now three additional funding streams: Engagement and Progression, which can include the arts, informal learning and family learning; Enablers of Learning, which can be used to provide distance learning coordinators, technology, or other 'on costs'; and a new 'catch all' funding stream to cover miscellaneous costs such as learner-voice activities or additional support for students with Learning Difficulties and Learning Disabilities. Click here to read more on the Prisoners' Education Trust's website.
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Resources & publications
The Aesop PHE Evaluation Framework
Aesop, along with Public Health England (PHE) developed an evaluation framework for arts for health and wellbeing aimed at researchers in 2014. Thanks to a commission from PHE, a version for practitioners is now available. The document provides guidance on appropriate ways to document the impacts of arts for health and wellbeing, whether through small scale project evaluations or large scale research studies. It is intended for health commissioners, third sector organisation, trainers, funders, practitioners, managers, arts organisations, researchers and others with an interest in the development and evaluation of arts for health and wellbeing programmes. Click here to read the report.
ImagineNation: the value of cultural learning
A new report launched this week sets out the personal, social, economic and educational benefits of the arts, culture and creativity for children and young people. The Cultural Learning Alliance report notes that the knowledge, skills and experience made possible by the performing and visual arts, film, museums, libraries, heritage and exploring the environment are essential to young people's development. Through cultural learning, young people are encouraged to explore other cultures, past and present, and are inspired to contribute to the arts and culture of the future. The report also touches upon the criminal justice sector, citing that young offenders taking part in arts activites are 18% less likely to reoffend. Click here to read more.
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This newsletter is written monthly by Kate Davey.
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Clinks manages the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance and is the legally accountable body for all official National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance activity. Clinks is a registered charity registration no 1074546 and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales no 3562176