21st September 2021
Four years of Portsmouth Creative Skills
Portsmouth Creative Skills enters fourth year, culminating in a film premiere in Guildhall Square
The ‘Night Mayor’ of Portsmouth Guildhall
This summer, a number of young people took part in our Portsmouth Creative Skills (PCS) programme – a 6‑week pre-employability programme that culminated in the premier of a short film in Portsmouth’s Guildhall Square on 20th August. Delivered over a 6‑week period between July and August 2021, activities took place at Portsmouth Guildhall, as well as cultural venues across Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. This was the first time the programme had taken place since 2019, as the disruptions caused last year by the pandemic meant it was not possible to deliver in 2020. This is where Portsmouth Creative Skills comes in – an arts-based pre-employability and personal development programme for care-experienced and other vulnerable or hard-to-reach children and young people living in the Portsmouth area. Managed and delivered by Artswork, the programme is currently funded by Portsmouth City Council and the Portsmouth Cultural Education Partnership ‘Better Lives Through Culture’ fund. During this year’s programme…- 7 young people aged 17 – 22 years completed the programme.
- 20 creative practitioners and industry professionals (62% Portsmouth based) provided workshops, presentations, and met with the group
- 14 creative and cultural venues (72% in Portsmouth) were visited over the course of the programme
- 11 Portsmouth Cultural Educational Partners (CEP) Members engaged with the programme
“A lot of people who are dis-privileged, especially in the care system, have a massive issue with not being heard, not being listened to, not being able to express themselves, and like sort of, dismissed. Art is a good way to feel heard, I guess, for a lot of people. What I like about this course, is that it was prepared to customise a bit for the individual group, I think that’s nice, you listened to us” – Young Person, 2021 Programme.Another key aspect for those who participated is the fact that they received a wage while on the course too. All young people were paid a training allowance of £4.20 per hour, which they received in addition to their benefits. Throughout the course, participants completed a portfolio documenting their experiences, inspirations, and reflections on the programme, as part of Bronze Arts Award Qualification (QCF Level). The fact that they can now clearly evidence their work will stand them in excellent stead when considering their next steps, as they are now more employable and/or ready to progress into further education. There have been a number of positive outcomes from the programme, including:
- 100% of participants submitted a portfolio of work for Bronze Arts Award
- 57% of the group have a confirmed college place to start after the programme.
- 100% of those enrolled reported in increase in their knowledge of the Portsmouth cultural scene and increased confidence to participate within it.