National Youth Week exhibition project
- 23 Jun 2014
Sally Baisden describes a project run by the Police Citizen’s Youth Club resulting in two exhibitions during National Youth Week...
There is no better way to validate young people’s opinions than to allow them the freedom to express themselves and empower them by providing the tools and support they require to bring their opinion to life. Police Citizen’s Youth Club (PCYC) believes that young people thrive in environments where their ideas and emotions are confirmed and art is a vehicle that is conducive not only to young people’s creative expressions, but brings all minds onto an even playing field where older and younger people alike become passengers in the artistic journey.
Many of PCYC’s youth and community development programs benefit from a fusion of personal development principles with dance, music creation, traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and contemporary artistic experiences. PCYC Queensland believes that young people and their communities need to remain the drivers in determining programs, and strive to build the capacity of young people to deliver innovative opportunities for Queensland communities.
Our National Youth Week Arts Exhibition Project included the facilitation of 14 workshops across Queensland which resulted in over 40 pieces of work being created and displayed as part of exhibitions at Parliament House and the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts during National Youth Week in April 2014.
The program was a partnership between PCYC, community organisations, government departments, educational facilities and local artists and supported the creative engagement of 404 young people including those from regional communities, school students, cadets, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, LGBTIQ young people, young PCYC leaders, young people with disabilities and young people in or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system.
This project linked to the National Youth Week theme ‘Our Voice, Our Impact’ and provided an avenue for young people to express themselves creatively, with the exciting prospect of having the platform of an exhibition to showcase their works. The project was well supported by Honorable Ms Tracy Davis, Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and the Queensland Government’s Office for Youth. Minister Davis was hands on in the project through her attendance at three exhibition events, meeting artists and support staff. Minister Davis also penned letters of commendation to artists from Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre and Maryborough Correctional Centre.
The most significant outputs of the National Youth Week Arts Exhibition Project were the high numbers of young people engaged in the workshops; the commitment of support for the participants by community organisations, schools and businesses; and the incredible calibre of the work produced that resulted in two candid and moving exhibitions.
A highlight of this project was the involvement of young people from the Maryborough and Brisbane Correctional Centres. The feedback from these young people and their supervisors was overwhelmingly positive, with some incredible talent having the chance to shine through. Many of the young people from the Correctional Centres had never engaged in art before and with the support of artistic mentors over the month-long project many mesmerizing pieces were created. We sincerely hope that these young people pursue their artistic talent as an avenue for expressing their culture, journey and ambitions in the future.
Through our engagement with young people and their support structures within their communities, PCYC has identified that there is overwhelming enthusiasm for projects such as this. Young people engaging in arts and creative pursuits are very well supported by their communities, with many of the workshops being partially sponsored by local businesses and mentors donating their time. PCYC Queensland will continue to develop innovative programs in collaboration with local communities across its 54 locations. Using arts and cultural engagement experiences as vehicles for young people’s development, PCYC looks to enhance communities and promote young people’s positive sense of self.
Sally Baisden has been working with PCYC Queensland for 10 years, and was a project officer for National Youth Week 2014. Youth Development is her passion and she thoroughly enjoys watching young people working towards meaningful goals while being supported by their community.
Feature image: National Youth Week Exhibition at Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art, April 2014