Young people and the environment at Impact Arts

Nicola Wood, Green Champion at Impact Arts, shares the organisation’s recent success in multi-faceted sustainability, combining youth engagement, employability and environmental themes. Nicola gives an insight into the first two years of the project, the impact it has had and their plans for the future.

Impact Arts and Our Bright Future

Impact Arts received funding from Our Bright Future, a lottery-funded programme that supports young people to lead progressive change in their communities and local environment. As one of 31 organisations running a range of programmes over three years, the work of Impact Arts has been split in to three strands:

• Creative Pathways: a flagship employability project working with 15 young people between 16-19 years. It runs for 12 weeks with the aim of getting young people into employment or further education.
• Creative Connections: an eight-week programme, working with 14-16 year olds who have disengaged or are at risk of disengaging with school, with the aim of keeping them in education.
• Youth Ambassador programme: a recent pilot, where a new graduate artist from Glasgow School of Art worked with various community groups, primary schools and high schools in Dennistoun, Glasgow, to promote environmental themes and create a collaborative piece of public art around environmental issues in the local area.

In total, 14 projects under these strands were delivered during 2016 and 2017, and each one had a focus on environmental sustainability in some way (including topics such as upcycling, environmental art, green space make-overs, diverting waste from landfill, planting in green spaces and making raised beds, encouraging biodiversity, increasing recycling and growing political advocacy). The work has been well received in their local community:

‘I am massively impressed by the amount of work that these kids have managed to pull together on this project (Creative Pathways, Glasgow 2017). It’s great to see the work that’s gone in to find out the history behind the clay pits. The finished sculptures are amazing.’

Reuben, Clay Pits Nature Reserve management group

We think the project is a great example of the ‘triple-bottom-line’ approach to sustainability: combining social sustainability (incorporating aspects of wellbeing and community), economic sustainability (getting people ready for work, and upskilling them to participate in a prosperous economy) and environmental sustainability (benefiting our natural physical environment).

Impact of the project

Impact Arts has also been very successful in monitoring the impact of the programme, and the 14 environmental projects undertaken. Working across North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow and Edinburgh, it knows that:

• 208 young people have learned new skills in design, sculpture, planning, environmental awareness and employability and feel more aware of environmental issues.
• 110 young people have gained an accreditation in Employability and Steps to Work SQA unit and the Bronze Arts Award.
• Seven green sites have been transformed into accessible, biodiverse and educational community spaces, with another eight to be complete by 2020.
• 1057kg of timber has been diverted from landfill to date, which is the equivalent of 1.54tCO2e saved.
• 163 children and 233 adults have been involved in creative consultation activities using a host of creative workshops to collect data, including questionnaires, art workshops, mind mapping, filming and even a smoothie bike!
• 13 community celebration events were held with 648 people attending.
• 189 young people have progressed on to positive destinations including employment, training and education.
• The Barrhead project was a finalist for 2017 SURF Awards Youth Employability category.

‘Great to see what can be done with unwanted furniture – big transformation! Everyone should be proud of their achievements.’

Hugh McGee, Head of Cunninghame Furniture Recycling Company

Plans for the future

For 2018-2020, Impact Arts plans to continue to build and grow its environmental work. It has established a project focus for 2018 and has looked at introducing the following themes in a deeper context linking in with current green themes and government legislation:

• Regenerated community spaces/placemaking
• Reduction in landfill
• Biodiversity
• Climate change: linked to the new Climate Bill (going through the Scottish Parliament in 2018)
• Renewable energy: ie wind turbines, solar panels, wave energy tied in with the Scottish Government priorities
• Bees: Save the Bee, linked to the Scottish Wildlife Trust campaign

The organisation is continuing to research environmental artists to work with their young people, as well as different forms of environmental art and activism that young people can explore and develop their own responses to.

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Impact Arts is a community arts organisation using the arts and creativity to enable and empower social change. It is a member of our Green Arts Initiative: a networked community of practice of cultural organisations across Scotland committed to reducing their environmental impact and making a positive contribution to sustainability.

Featured image: Impact Arts