Young people from Feltham Young Offenders Institute (YOI) took part in an innovative enrichment and engagement project using art as a space to support them to maintain and build family relationships.
Shaw Trust collaborated with Tate Liverpool, Novus and G4S on this project, showing that through increasing the opportunities to participate in arts and cultural activities, young people learn new skills and experiences, encouraging engagement in education and support employability and rehabilitation.
The theme of the project was ‘Family’ and the young people used words and icons to express what family means to them.
Shaw Trust provides education, information, advice and guidance to the young people at Feltham YOI.
One of the learners who has taken part in the project share’s what the opportunity has meant to him: “It gave me an opportunity to think about my family and my choices. I can express my feelings by creating a new style similar to other artists. I learnt a lot about the artists and their styles and made me want to explore more art in different eras and develop my own opinions.”
Talking abut the project, Patrick Allen, Head of Education at Feltham YOI said: “The positive engagement of the young people in our care at Feltham YOI in the Tate Liverpool project has been a revelation! Nearly 40% of our current cohort, including those with the most complex needs, have submitted an entry and all the entries will be displayed at the exhibition. A key factor behind this improved engagement has been our introduction of ‘Therapeutic Art’ to our curriculum at Feltham YOI.”