Keith's Blog

Archive for September, 2011

Pigeon attack at Us UnLtd’s latest project

Friday, September 30th, 2011

“What’s through here?” I asked. “Not sure” came the reply:  ”And I don’t know who’s got the torch but let’s have a look”. We stepped into the darkened space and three pigeons flew out at us.

It was like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock film. The pigeons escaped through a broken window – which is how they got there in the first place, no doubt. Several yelps later we were back downstairs with increasingly exaggerated tales of how we were nearly “savaged” by some irate pigeons.

I was visiting Us UnLtd inFlint. They are part of an initiative being driven forward by Llamau, a charity working to help a group of homeless young people take an entrepreneurial role in shaping their own future. UsUnLtd’s vision is to empower homeless young people in Flintshire. The young people developed a business plan for a shop, a centre to provide learning and skills training, a cafe and accommodation with an opportunity to acquire important life skills.

Pigeons aside, it is now a year on from the first time I met these young people and their shop is now open inFlint.

It is really great to catch up with the young people and see the amazing progress they have made. The shop sells a number of items but the t- shirt printing service is proving to be a bit of a winner.

I took the opportunity to order a bespoke t-shirt with designs of my choice. So the front has the Us UnLtd logo on it:

And on the back there is a birthday cake design to celebrate the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’ tenth birthday:

Pretty cool I’m sure you will agree. If you ever need any t-shirts printing then this is the business for you – all orders are welcome and all the profits are put back into the social enterprise to build up the capacity to support homeless young people in Flintshire.

So how did I end up getting attacked by pigeons? Well, I was visiting Us UnLtd’s next project, to convert a building across the road from the shop into a new centre to provide learning and training opportunities. Grant applications are in and fingers are crossed. It will take a lot of work to the bring building up to scratch but the potential is enormous and all of this is being driven forward by the creativity, vision and sheer hard work that Us UnLtd are putting in.

I have met some of the young people involved with this project a couple of times before and every now and again a message on Twitter will update me on their progress. All the young people involved have overcome some tough things in their lives. They all face continuing challenges as they build lives for themselves, setting up their own homes, finding work and going to college to gain qualifications, to name but three. On top of that they give their time to build the Us UnLtd social enterprise.

“We all want to build something that will help others who face the same things that we did.”

There are many people in this world who set out an ambition but not everyone has the determination to see it through. UsUnLtd are pretty determined and the progress they have made in the last 12 months is pretty amazing.

Next time you are inFlint pop in and see them. They are located on Church Street. I know they will be delighted to see you and they deserve all the support they can get.

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A Piece of Me

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Sometimes when we get drawn into debates about the importance of listening to the views of children and young people, we talk about children’s voices. Sometimes we take that rather too literally, as if it is only the spoken word in a meeting or discussion, or the written word on a returned questionnaire, that can give us those views.

When I left secondary school I did a fine art degree and I still believe paintings are the pinnacle of artistic expression. I can look at a painting by Whistler, Turner, Hockney or Banksy and I ‘hear’ their message, I see and feel their response to the world around them.

This was the case at the ‘A Piece of Me’ exhibition, held by Barnardos Cymru’s Seraf Service, an intensive support programme for children and young people aged 10 to 18 who are either at risk or have been abused through sexual exploitation. The project, funded by The Arts Council of Wales, is being shown in the The Pierhead Building inCardiff Bay. It includes film, art, animation, music, poetry and stories by young people who have received support from the Seraf Service.

I was really pleased to have the honour of opening the exhibition. Art encourages freedom of expression and this exhibition speaks to all who are up for listening and hearing. It is a brave thing to do and I hope that as many people as possible view the work on display.

 I would like to thank all the young people and staff at the Barnardo’s Cymru Seraf Service and also the Arts Council of Wales for funding such a worthwhile project.

The invitation described ‘A Piece of Me’ as:

 “A gritty exhibition which challenges our minds and perceptions through the eyes of young people’s experiences. It is impossible to leave the exhibition untouched.”

By any definition this is art and creative expression that gives voice to children and young people’s experiences. It is powerful and I would urge you to see it, either in the Bay or when it tours around Wales in the months ahead.

The whole show is very strong but three pieces in particular spoke to me:

 

This painting is being used as the poster for the exhibition. It shows a child crying on the inside.

This piece is called ‘Blood run cold’ and the caption underneath says: “There are nights when I wake and my blood runs cold remembering experiences I have had.”

This picture is called ‘The Mask’ and shows how you can put on a mask to hide your true feelings. You have to look beyond the mask.

As you tour around you can see children and young people expressing their anger and frustration through art. It is uncomfortable in places. But it concludes with hope, showing the resilience that children and young people have, to do more than to just survive, to achieve their full potential.

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