Raw Voices (2011)

Role/s:
Young people: Coordinator & poetry/spoken word workshop facilitator
For Our Rawmarsh, Our Lives publication:  Collation, design & editing

I planned and implemented a programme of creative sessions within Rawmarsh School English and drama classes (and in the nearby community), introducing the Spoken Word art form and encouraging people to get involved. A selection of the work produced was included in the Our Rawmarsh, Our Lives publication (both were Rawmarsh&Me…Unlimited projects)

“This makes writing cool.” Raw Voices participant

rawmarsh and meaRaw Voices (Jan 2011 – March 2011) was a Rawmarsh&Me…Unlimited project, led by Vicky Morris through Signposts Writing Project. It used
the spoken word art form as a catalyst for engaging the community in sharing and exploring community and identity through words. Its main aim was to inspire young people to see the art form as an accessible way of exploring positive emotional expression while reflecting on their lives and aspirations and building confidence through writing and performing.

In addition to taster introductions, both in the community and through Rawmarsh school, facilitators, Vicky Morris & Joe Kriss, offered masterclass sessions at the High Street Centre, Rawmarsh.  The workshops attracted a wide range of 14 to 16s, most of whom said they would never have done anything writing related out of school.

prision dayaAt the end of the project young people performed at the Rotherham Raw Fusion Festival and at the Rotherham’s Children’s University Award Ceremony in 210. Work from the Raw Voices project was published in ‘Our Rawmarsh, Our Lives’, a community publication celebrating some of the projects from the wider Rawmarsh & Me… Unlimited project.

prision day2‘Our Rawmarsh, Our Lives’ also included writing produced during a HMPS Educational Outreach ‘Prison Day’ at Rawmarsh School delivered at Rawmarsh School with Raw Voices. The day brought together various organisations including the Red Cross, and Hatfield prison whom brought along prisoners – whom the students were able to interview to help inform their writing – and a mobile prison cell. The students interrupted their experiences of the day through creative writing.

As a result of Raw Voices, two young people from Rawmarsh went on to join and become dedicated members of Rotherham Young Writers.

Rawmarsh&Me…Unlimited

rawmarsh and me perfWas a long term project (2009 – 2011) aimed at raising personal and career aspirations of young people and parents and  to help 11-16 year olds get closed to their career goals. The project is part of the national Inspiring Communities campaign and funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Much of the focus of the campaign is about the community of Rawmarsh coming together to give young people the best possible platforms to learn, express and contribute to society with fruitful rewarding careers. Rawmarsh & Me…Unlimited was dedicated to looking at new and interesting ways of engaging the community and expanding horizons.

Raw Voices was a Create IT project for Rawmarsh&Me…Unlimited which encompassed a whole range of digital media activity. Create IT consisted of 9 individual projects, which were delivered over 15 months. Young people also had the opportunity to gain accreditation throughout the projects which evidenced their skills and support applications for employment or higher education.
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Our Rawmarsh, Our Lives is a booklet celebration of a selection of written work that was produced by members of the Rawmarsh community during a wide variety of Rawmarsh & Me…Unlimited community projects.

(Feature image (performance) credit to follow)

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