Summer 2022 - RAW Activities for Young People

We've had an extremely busy Summer!

We were delighted to be able to work on several projects during the Summer holidays of 2022.

In week 1 we worked with WV10 Consortium and in particular the 'Arty Garden' Project at Stratton Street Community Centre.
Weeks 2-5 we were delivering our own Summer HAF project funded by City of Wolverhampton Council and Department for Education at All Saints Action Network.
In week 6 we worked with Wolverhampton Social Prescribing service on a range of activities for young people aged 13-17.

Read the full details for each project below:

Week 1: The 'Arty Garden' Project at Stratton Street Community Centre

We love working with other organisations and this Summer had the pleasure of working with WV10 Consortium and in particular one of their member organisations, Stratton Street Community Centre. They do so much for the local community that is was great to be able to help make their ‘secret garden’ even more inviting by tidying up the space, painting a mural on the outside fence, decorating the inside panels with recycled bottle flowers and upcycling old furniture and tyres to make a colourful and vibrant environment.

Why not visit the Community centre and take your own 'Butterfly Selfie' to share on social media :-)

Weeks 2-5 : Summer HAF activities

We were grateful to receive a HAF (Holidays Activities and Food) grant from City of Wolverhampton Council and Department for Education to provide 4 weeks of activities for eligible young people.

We provided them with a wide range of enrichment activities that included visual arts, activities linked to healthy eating, learning new skills, trying something new and learning from visiting artists.

Here are just a few photos:

Healthy Eating

Drawing and Painting

Sign Song: 'We Shine Together'.

Watch the video of the YP performing the song in sign language:

Andy Warhol's 'Campbell's New England Clam Chowder Soup'

British Art Show 9 Activities

African / British artist Michael Armitage was one of the artists exhibiting at British Art Show in Wolverhampton earlier in the year 2022. His style inspired the following artworks.

British Sign Language (BSL) Learning with Gary

Our very own Deaf role model Gary O'Dowd taught the young people some basic of sign language and included some Healthy food options vocabulary as part of the requirement of the HAF funding.

Cardboard Art

At the start of our project the young people creating a 6ft cardboard wolf, decorated with their own drawings and paintings and with a recycling box at the base to encourage people to do their bit for the environment.
Later in the project they made models of Wolverhampton landmarks - they are brilliant!

Crafts and Clay Modelling

A variety of creations using clay, papers, pots and ceramic tiles. Also, some sun prints using special photosensitive Cyanotype papers.

Visiting Artists

One of the important things we do is introduce young people to practising professional artists. This summer we were lucky to have 3 people show them their work. Lewis a recent graduate in graphic design, Donna a painter and drawer who led a fab colour mixing theory workshop and Rhianna, a young person herself who showed her small business making polymer clay bracelet charms and her journey on RAW sessions which led to being exhibited at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

​One of the young people made his own board game at home during our programme and brought it in and shared that with the group too. :-)

Feedback from the young people

Headlines from online surveys:

This was the best day ever!

I enjoyed Lewis’s presentation because I got to learn about possible careers combining art and other passions.

I loved doing the optical illusion drawings. They were challenging but fun.

Today the BSL learning was cool. 

I really liked the painting on bark. 

The Healthy Eating poster was so fun, thank you so much.

I met new friends. 

I loved the African dot painting.

I enjoyed painting with meaning and expressing myself.
 
I had lots of fun learning about new things and new skills in art and I would like to come next year too. 

Very awesome – we made stuff I could never do before.

WE BEAT ANDY WARHOL!

The way the staff expressed the art and they did amazing I ❤️ everything

They allowed me to find different area of art that I enjoyed and I will continue to practice outside of RAW

I met new friends and I got to share my art journey and how I started my business. I also love the activities especially the singing ‘we shine together’!!🤗😇

Because it was fun and it made me feel creative

I loved that the staff was friendly and helpful and they always helped if you needed support well done guys I m happy 😃 for you guys🥰

It was amazing I made new friends and the staff are amazing and lovely I couldn’t ask for more.

I even have a corner of my room dedicated to RAW now!

Week 6: Social Prescribing / Thriving Communities art project

What an amazingly creative group of young people aged 13-17!
From the first day making a cardboard tree in sections that reflect the seasons of the year to making models of Wolverhampton Art Gallery of the Future, they impressed us (and the gallery) with their skills and ideas.
​Just look at what they did....

Watch the video of 'Art Galleries of the Future.'