Over the course of 2 weeks during the 2024 summer holidays, we will give 20 young people aged 8-14 the tools, support and platform to design the Children’s Democratic Republic of Bridport and voice their wishes for their local community.
Through innovative creative writing workshops, young people will imagine a new future for Bridport; giving a true insight into what is important to the young people of Dorset. Workshops will take place at The Arts Centre in Bridport and will be led by our Workshop Facilitators, who are professional writers, alongside our team of volunteer writing mentors, 50 members of the local community who have been trained to provide 1:1 mentoring and writing support.
We will create a safe space for participants to explore and develop their ideas, grow writing skills and find their voice. With the support of our team and expert creatives, young people will create a manifesto; write a constitution with the guidance of a human rights lawyer; compose a national anthem with a local composer; create a national flag with our local sewing shop, Studio One; and design plans for the country with a professional graphic designer. The project will culminate in the takeover and transformation of an empty shop on Bridport High Street into an Embassy, where children will spend the final week presenting their ideas to the local community, undertaking extensive community consultation and finally sharing their proposals, on behalf of the community, to local councillors and other key decision makers.
Partial funding towards the project is expected from the Holidays Activity Fund (which BDN have previously received) and as a result priority will be given to local children who are in receipt of free school meals (expected to be at least 50% of participants).
BUT WHY YOU ASK?
Since our inception; we have asked young people about what they want from BDN consulting with the local young people who attend our weekly writing club, our youth board and children attending our partner schools; as well as their families and teachers. Repeated requests for a different type of holiday provision that provides young people with leadership opportunities and a creative outlet led to the development of our summer holiday pilot in 2023. Following a positive response to this pilot, we plan to embark on our most ambitious project yet in 2024 that encourages young people to use the power of their ideas to write brighter futures for themselves and the community in which they live.
This project has been created in direct response to: 1) The need for affordable; meaningful holiday programmes for young people in the area of Bridport from all backgrounds; but particularly for those who would otherwise not have access. BDN exists to provide creative opportunities that improve writing skills, build confidence and raise aspirations for young people from disadvantaged socio- economic backgrounds. By providing free holiday provision that targets young people receiving free school meals we can break down accessibility barriers to the arts and help to meet this need. 2) The growing concern by young people, and the wider community, about the future of Bridport; Dorset; and the World! We know from working with children in Dorset every day that they are deeply affected by the challenges of the last few years – including the pandemic, cost of living crisis, and environmental concerns – and lack the opportunity to voice their concerns or be part of the solution, even at a local level. We hope that this project will act as a catalyst for change and improve the spaces that matter to Dorset's young people.
WHAT WILL THE IMPACT BE?
This project will help to deliver on the key aims that cross all BDN programmes and support young people to:
-Be better writers – By providing young people with the opportunity to write about what matters most to them even the most reluctant writers will be inspired to pick up a pen.
-Feel proud of their achievements – Young people will be given the tools and support to create their best writing and transform it into a collective vision for their local area, helping to raise aspirations.
-Be more confident – Through child-led sessions and encouragement from our mentors, we build confidence and self-esteem by showing children that their ideas and opinions are important.
-Learn new skills – Children will hone their communication and teamwork skills and learn new creative skills. The Children’s Democratic Republic of Bridport specifically will also aim to:
-Empower children to positively influence their local community – We are hopeful that children’s ideas and proposals for Bridport will receive a response or result in positive action from Dorset policy makers.
-Build positive connections between community members – In addition to bringing together 20 young people and 50 story mentor volunteers (local adults who volunteer with BDN) over the course of the project, young people will spend the final week of the project sharing their ideas and consulting with an estimated 1000 community members, ensuring that the young people’s final proposals to the council have the input and buy-in of the wider community. At an organisational level this project will allow us to explore a multi-pronged recruitment strategy to engage young people, particularly those who face the greatest barriers, that includes collaborating with local charity partners, recruiting through schools and direct outreach into the community. The outcome of this will greatly inform future approaches to participant recruitment.