=20

Accessibility=20
Contact=20 us
FAQ=20

Home=20
About=20
Themes=20
News=20
Apply=20

Themes

Accessibility options

Contrast:

Themes
Cohesive=20 and resilient communities
Case=20 studies
Lancashire=20 case study
Hounslow=20 application case study
Southwark=20 application case study
Waltham=20 Forest application case study
Violent=20 extremism resiliance
iMuslim=20 case study
Junior=20 leadership programme
Curious=20 minds
e11=20 international market
'Women=20 in Civic Life' event
Islam=20 Awareness Week 2009
Beacons=20 journey so far
'Outlawz'=20 rapper tours Southwark
South=20 City Radio project

Curious minds: creative arts work with secondary = schools on=20 extremism

Lancashire Community Cohesion Partnership community cohesion = case=20 study

Summary

Curious Minds, formerly Creative Partnerships Lancashire, was = commissioned by=20 Lancashire Constabulary to develop a creative arts based programme of = work: six=20 Lancashire secondary schools addressed the objectives of the Prevent = Strategy=20 and the Department for Children Schools and Families=92 =91Learning = Together to be=20 Safe=92 toolkit, on the prevention of violent extremism.

The =A350,000 costs for the project were met by DCSF and the = initiative was=20 supported by the Lancashire Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) Forum, = the=20 partnership body representing all Local Authorities and partners in the = area.=20

Key learning

Creative and arts based approaches to learning as a tool for = addressing=20 complex and controversial issues, increases the likelihood of open=20 conversations both within the classroom and beyond.
Addressing issues around violent extremism openly and within a = safe=20 environment provides opportunities for myths to be quashed, attitudes = and=20 prejudices to be challenged, and violent acts to be condemned.
When partnership projects are designed according to an individual = school=92s=20 needs, the school can then align this work with the wider national = curriculum,=20 supporting the delivery of subjects such as Citizenship, Media = Studies,=20 English, Geography, Art and Religious Education.
Aligning the programme with the wider national curriculum ensures = that it=20 will not be seen as a bolt-on, but can be woven into the curriculum = and form=20 part of a sustained and embedded approach.
It takes time to get all partners on board and to build trust in = order to=20 shift peoples=92 thinking and attitudes.
It is crucial that schools understand the role they must play in=20 challenging extremist messages both within school and in engaging with = the=20 wider community. This involves supporting individual pupils at risk, = alongside=20 developing a creative curriculum and strong ethos which upholds core = values of=20 democratic voice, pupil voice and human rights.

Background to the authority

Curious Minds is a charity working in collaborative partnership with = a range=20 of agencies to bring about positive personal and social change through = the=20 development of curiosity, creativity and learning.

Curious Minds is responsible for delivering the Creative Partnerships = programme across Lancashire and Merseyside, the government=92s flagship = creative=20 learning programme for young people, teachers and schools.

Curious Minds is also the host organisation for Arts Award in the = North West,=20 the national qualification which supports young people to develop as = artists and=20 arts leaders.

Who was involved?

Following a briefing event in January 2009, six secondary schools = from across=20 Lancashire each put together their own proposal for developing a = creative=20 programme of work with pupils.

The programme would seek to undermine extremist ideology and = strengthen the=20 resilience of schools to challenge extremism.

The Curious Minds team then brought in six project managers, along = with a=20 range of creative practitioners from a variety of artistic and creative=20 backgrounds including film, sound art, visual art and the performing = arts.

The creative practitioners were supported by Community Engagement = Officers=20 working in the schools.

The problems and how we tackled them

The biggest challenge was engaging schools in the programme in the = first=20 instance; a number of schools initially expressed an interest in = participating=20 in the programme, but later withdrew because of concerns that parents = and/or the=20 local community might perceive the work to be inflammatory.

However, the six participating schools have been incredibly positive = about=20 the work that has taken place in their schools and have been closely = involved in=20 developing a documentary DVD and booklet about the project activity.

These materials will be an excellent advocacy tool in promoting this = work and=20 a useful aid in encouraging additional schools to take part in future=20 initiatives.

Lancashire Partnership had to work hard with some schools to ensure = their=20 projects were challenging enough and were focused not solely on social = cohesion,=20 but were also looking directly at violent extremism.

The partnership encouraged schools to explore different forms of = extremism,=20 from animal rights activism and football hooliganism through to Far = Right and=20 Al-Qaeda inspired ideology.

They also encouraged partners to challenge the stories promoted by = terrorist=20 groups. For example, =91violence in a terrorist cause is acceptable, = suicide=20 bombing is righteous, it is ok to kill non-white people, animal = laboratory staff=20 are a legitimate target for threat=92.

As the projects developed, conversations became more open and at a = sharing=20 event in July at Lancashire Constabulary Headquarters, where pupils and = schools=20 came together to talk about the impact of the projects and what they had = learnt, it was visible that the issues had been tackled = directly and=20 in depth.

Pendle Vale College worked with an experienced youth worker and a = film maker=20 to explore issues around extremism, through the production of a short=20 documentary film to be shared via mobile phones and the web.

Pupils at Rhyddings Business & Enterprise College and Marsden = Heights=20 Community College also produced creative films, which clearly = demonstrated a=20 rejection of violence in favor of making a positive contribution to = society.

Colne Primet High School pupils produced a piece of challenging and=20 interactive theatre to be shared across the school community.

Pupils at Darwen Aldridge Academy created a large scale piece of = public art=20 challenging extremism, to sit in the foyer of their new building.

Accrington Academy took it a step further, with pupils creating an = art=20 exhibition situated within an empty shop in the town centre, which was = visited=20 by over 700 members of the public in three days.

Outcomes and impact

More than 600 young people from across Lancashire now have a clear = understanding of violent extremism and what this might mean to them, = their=20 peers and the wider community.
Pupils have developed the capacity to challenge stereotyping, = prejudice,=20 peer pressure and ideologies that sanction and encourage = indiscriminate=20 violence, both within the school community and beyond.
Pupils have had the opportunity to develop a variety of skills = related to=20 the creative arts such as film making, dance, visual art and drama. =
Teachers have developed a range of skills and confidence in = dealing with=20 these often challenging and controversial issues in the classroom. =
Teachers now have a range of creative resources they can use = independently=20 with other groups of pupils in the future.
Through participating in these projects the schools have increased = confidence to continue making a positive contribution to the PVE = agenda,=20 empowering young people and communities to be more resilient to = extremism.=20
Senior managers within the schools now have an increased awareness = of the=20 importance of protecting the wellbeing of pupils that may be = vulnerable to=20 being drawn into violent extremist activity.
The programme has enabled schools and particularly leaders of = educational=20 institutions, to understand why their school must play such a critical = role in=20 rejecting and condemning violent extremism, and in promoting and = articulating=20 an ethos and set of values that promotes respect for all others.
The schools involved have already begun to articulate the = importance of=20 challenging extremism more widely across local communities. The = schools are=20 also now able to support one another more effectively in doing this = and in=20 communicating the value and importance of this work to other = schools.

Koser Mahmood, a teacher from Accrington Academy described the impact = of the=20 project as:

=91Transformational ... pupils=92 attitudes were changed and these = pupils took a=20 range of positive messages and attitudes around community relations and = respect=20 for others directly into their neighbourhood.=92

A pupil in another school who was known for making racist comments in = class=20 said towards the end of the project, =91We=92re all the same inside ... = we=92re all=20 equal.=92

What could we have done better?

Schools were given two terms to complete this work. In hindsight it = may have=20 been more effective if the schools had been given a full = academic=20 year, broken down into three terms:

a term to plan and select creative practitioners to work with =
a term to run project activity
a third term to reflect on the learning and impact and share their = work=20 with other schools.

Given schools more time could enable partners to = schedule regularl=20 meetings, enabling them to come together to share learning, = successes and=20 challenges.

Next steps

Further project activity is now being planned in more schools across=20 Lancashire.

A DVD and resource pack is currently being prepared for print and=20 distribution across the region.

Each of the participating schools has been encouraged to develop = their own=20 =91community of commitment=92 to this agenda within the school. All of = the schools=20 have plans for building on and embedding the project activity further = this=20 year.

For example, Accrington Academy is developing their own =91Community = Role=20 Model=92 resource pack to share with other schools.

It is important to acknowledge that significant educational impacts = have been=20 achieved within these projects, yet it is also important to acknowledge = that=20 meaningful learning and developments can only be sustained if schools = take a=20 long term approach in addressing these issues.

Teachers and pupils, along with creative practitioners and community=20 partners, need to make space to continue working together and generating = dialogue, exploring some of the most difficult and important questions = that are=20 relevant to all of us in society today.

Further information

For futher information contact:

Kate Hobson, Director of Programmes, Curious Minds.

tel: 01282 435835
email: kate.hobson@curiousminds.= org.uk=20

Superintendent Andrew Pratt, =91Prevent=92 Strategy Lead, = Lancashire=20 Constabulary

email: Andrew.pratt@lancas= hire.pnn.police.uk

Page information

Conseq

You are here