Briefing on the Wolverhampton City Learning Region British Art Show 9 Community Participation Project: Arts, Culture and Learning for Wellbeing
Please find attached a project brief that outlines a project Wolverhampton City Learning Region have developed with the city’s social prescribing service for British Art Show 9.
Please see below the summary of the project’s Key Objectives taken from the attached project brief – I have put in bold text the key areas of this project that provide opportunities for Wolverhampton City Learning Region Partners to get involved which includes local third sector / voluntary and community sector organisations city-wide:
Key Objectives:
- BAS 9 Public Engagement Ambassador to work directly with the Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC) Social Prescribing Service and collaboratively develop plans to enable social prescribing service clients (age 18+) to access and engage with BAS 9 at Wolverhampton Art Gallery and University of Wolverhampton School of Art.
- For the BAS 9 Public Engagement Ambassador to plan in consultation with Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC) Social Prescribing Service a minimum of x 4 creative workshops, for adults (age 18+) who need wellbeing support, that provide arts, culture and learning experiences connected to BAS 9 at Wolverhampton Art Gallery and the University of Wolverhampton School of Art. This may also include planning an additional online workshop(s) or online activity session(s) to provide opportunities for any social prescribing service clients who are housebound to participate virtually. Workshops will link to a theme or artwork within Wolverhampton’s BAS 9 that is exhibited.
- For the Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC) Social Prescribing Service link workers to ensure clients participating in the workshops have follow-up support after workshops and during the project to ensure the experiences are meeting wellbeing needs. Link workers will personalise support for each client as usual and help clients to overcome any barriers to access the workshops/project.
- To organise BAS 9 guided tour and talk for Social prescribing staff/link workers and WCLR partners to support continued professional development and to support raising awareness of and interest in BAS9. (University of Wolverhampton School of Art / BAS 9 City Coordinator to arrange dates that can be offered for guided tour / talk opportunities).
- To promote messages about how informal and non-formal learning experiences through arts and culture can be a means to develop people’s interests, support aspirations and provide opportunities for further learning pathways to support wellbeing. (BAS 9 City Coordinator will be documenting project through Arts Council England and Hayward Touring evaluation of the Ambassadors projects).
- Social prescribing staff/link workers and WCLR partners to help raise awareness of, and interest in, BAS9 across local communities and stimulate positive word of mouth and share information/PR across their communication / media channels. This may include contributing to reducing stigma and misconceptions of who loneliness and isolation affects by promoting discussion and sharing messages about how engagement in arts, culture and learning can make a difference to wellbeing for all age groups. This may include sharing examples of how local residents have been involved in arts, culture, learning for wellbeing activities in Wolverhampton during the pandemic to date to encourage local residents to think about the value of engaging with the BAS 9 opportunity.
- WCLR partners build relationships / partnerships with social prescribing service by sharing information about any arts, culture and learning opportunities they have on offer that may be suitable for social prescribing service clients to be signposted to.
- For the BAS 9 Public Engagement Ambassador to co-develop with participants /make creative outputs from the workshops/project for dissemination. For example creative images, artwork created by participants etc. in response to theme or artwork within Wolverhampton’s BAS 9 that is exhibited.
- For the BAS 9 Public Engagement Ambassador to plan and produce an evaluation of the project with the input of Social Prescribing Service and WCLR partners. To include evaluation of the experiences of participants during the creative workshops, impact of the workshops/project and outcomes/outputs. (Ensure any data that needs to be captured during the project / from participants is planned from start of the project e.g. attendance data of workshops, quotes from participants at start/end of project etc. which may include Link Workers information e.g. Podnosh etc.)
Opportunities to be involved
- If you have any questions on the attached project brief, please contact me before Friday 14th January (which will be my last working day as I will be leaving my Learning Regions Coordinator role as I have now relocated to the outskirts of Bristol and will be taking up a new role as a Specialist Public Health Practitioner for South Gloucestershire Council). Following on from 14th January, please contact Mary Mahoney (University Director of Access and Lifelong Learning at the University) email: LearningRegions@wlv.ac.uk and/or Ros Manasseh (BAS 9 City Coordinator) email: R.Manasseh@wlv.ac.uk for any questions about this project. I will be leaving my contact details with Ros and Mary so I can pick up after I leave on any key questions if necessary.
- If any of you are interested in the opportunity for the BAS 9 guided tour and talk for WCLR partners that is part of this project please make contact with Ros Manasseh the BAS 9 City Coordinator based at the University to express your interest. Email: R.Manasseh@wlv.ac.uk Ros will be the person arranging dates that can be offered for guided tour / talk opportunities.
- If you are interested in building a relationship with / developing partnership working with the city’s social prescribing service as part of this project (we know some of you are already working together) please make contact with the Social Prescribing Manager Linda Stone.
Email: lstone@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk
- Please see the British Art Show 9 website for more details about the exhibition, dates and venues in Wolverhampton: https://britishartshow9.co.uk/
I think that covers everything, however any questions please do ask.
Natalie Lewis Symonds | Learning Regions Co-ordinator
Wolverhampton City Learning Region
The University of Wolverhampton | Centre for Lifelong Learning
T: 01902 322980 | E: N.Lewis5@wlv.ac.uk