News
Creativity in the Youth Justice Agency Helps the Blind (11/02/2008)
An exciting visual arts project has been taking place with the support of Creative Youth Partnerships in conjunction with the Youth Justice Agency, Omagh, involving a number of young people from the local area.Creative Youth Partnerships is an initiative that increases children and young people’s participation in the arts through support and advice, and it encourages and develops partnerships with its work throughout the Western Education and Library Board area.
The Youth Justice Agency works with children and young people aged 10-17 years who have offended or are at serious risk of offending and its principal aim is to reduce youth crime and to build confidence in the youth justice system. Part of the work of the Youth Justice Agency is to develop partnerships and projects with statutory bodies, voluntary organisations and community groups where the young people they work with have the opportunity to contribute something to the community.
This project involved the young people participating in arts workshops facilitated by artist Dara Hand where a number of semi-relief pieces of work were produced from clay that have been presented to the Royal National Institute of the Blind centre in Omagh for their use. The pieces have descriptions written in Braille so partially sighted and blind people can understand what the pieces represent.
The project was supported by Creative Youth Partnerships through its Individual Artists Programme. Geraldine O’Reilly, Creative Youth Partnerships Development Officer with the Western Education and Library Board, said; “This project involves a unique partnership involving the young people from the Youth Justice Agency working in a positive and meaningful way with one of our professional artists to create something purposeful that will benefit the people who visit the Blind Centre in Omagh. I hope and believe that the young people will benefit greatly from their involvement in this creative activity”
Dara Hand, the artist who facilitated the project said that he enjoyed working with the young people to help explore the notion of communication and other perceptions of the individual. A young person who engaged with the project acknowledged that he found the experience rewarding and that he learnt new skills from Dara. He also stated that by making art work for Omagh Blind Centre he was giving back to the community and that he was getting praised for his work.
For further information contact:
Geraldine O’ Reilly
Creative Youth Partnerships
Development Officer
Western Education and Library Board
Technology Education Centre
2 Spillars Place
OMAGH
BT78 1FA
Tel: 028 8225 6873 / 8224 0809
Fax: 028 8224 0797
CYP website is www.cypni.org
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