A three year crossdisciplinary investigation of creative arts as an intervention activity for young

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Risky Business Research Project

• A three year cross-disciplinary investigation of
  creative arts as an intervention activity for
  young people at risk in urban and rural Victoria
• Academic Disciplines
• Creative Arts
• Arts Education
• Criminology
• Australia Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project
  2002 - 2005

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Research Questions
How do arts programs engage marginalised young
people? What are the personal, social and
artistic outcomes for the young people? What
are effective practices for involving young
marginalised people in various art forms? Do
young people relate differently according to
their gender and cultural and linguistic
diversity (CALD)? How significant is an
artistic product for the participating young
people and their communities? What are the
implications of these for effective youth program
planning?
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Industry Partners

• Victorian Department of Justice Magistrates
• Courts of Melbourne and Broadmeadows
• Victorian Department of Human Services Juvenile
  Justice
• Arts Victoria
• Vic Health
• Youth Service Providers
• Whitelion
• Visy Cares (Dandenong)
• St Lukes Anglicare (Bendigo)
• BCentral (Bendigo)
• Additional Funding
• Australia Council Snuff Puppets Theatre Project
• VicHealth Risky Business Symposium

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Project Funding Sources
Proportion of funding (cash in-kind) from
sources as
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Location of Project
Melbourne Footscray Dandenong Rural
Victoria Bendigo Healsville Juvenile Justice
Centers
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Research Design Methodology
Project designed as an ethnographic study across
multiple sites Each of the arts program
researched as an ethnographic case
study Qualitative data collected and analysed
within each arts program Quantitative data
collated across all data sets Data analysed
across arts programs Research reported
through Ethnographic case studies of each arts
program Case studies of individual young people
involved in arts programs Identification of
issues and themes across case studies A PhD
thesis
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Choice of methodology
Why an ethnographic design? Why research each
arts session in each site? Way of accessing
participants perspectives Importance of
contextualised data Importance of documenting
the arts processes and practices used in each
session Importance of longitudinal data
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How the research was conducted?
Field worker in each site throughout each program
Researchers as participant observers in most
arts sessions. Three interviews with
participants (individual and group) artists.
Artists to write about each session
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Data collected
Demographic information about young people and
about each site. Descriptive field notes of many
- but not all sessions Visual and sound
recordings of arts products and videos of
performances Transcriptions of interviews with
participants at least one interview with almost
all 122 young people, artists and youth workers
(270 interviews) Documentary data- scripts,
brochures, fanzines etc
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Profile of Participants
Total number 121 Non custodial 51 Custodial
70 Gender Male 62 Female 59
Employment status at the time of the first
interview Unemployed 98 Employed 15 Full
time students 8 Education Highest level of
school completed yr5 1 yr6 5 yr7 8
yr8 10 yr9 19 yr10 28 yr11 8
yr12 10 Unknown 32 (not reported or not
interviewed)
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Profile of Participants
Ethnic and cultural background Anglo
Australian 55 Indigenous Australian 22
Maori/Pacific Islander 8 New Zealander
1 East Timorese 1 Chinese 2 Vietnamese
4 Cambodian 1 Filipino 1 Croatian
1 Macedonian 1 Polish Australian 1 Dutch
Australian 1 Egyptian Australian 1 Turkish
Australian 1 Lebanese 1 Mauritius
Australian 1 Sri Lankan 1 Horn of Africa 1 El
Salvadorian 1
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Arts Programs
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Arts Programs Footscray FlowZine
2004 Dandenong Modern Art Project 2003
Dandenong Comedy Quest 2004 Bendigo Real
to Reel 2003-2004 Bendigo Art of
Movement 2004 Healsville Snuff Puppets Project
2005
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Juvenile Justice Programs Juvenile Justice
Custodial Program 1, 2 and 3 (female
participants) Writing, music performing
July 2003 - December 2004 Arts Outcome Three
performances_at_Open Stage Theatre University of
Melbourne 2003, 2004 2005 additional school
performances Juvenile Justice Custodial Program
4 (male participants) Writing, music
performing May September 2004 Arts Outcome
Performance_at_Open Stage Theatre University of
Melbourne, 2004
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The Participants Issues of Risk

• disconnection from school
• disconnection from family
• disconnection from community
• high unemployment rate
• exposure to violence
• homelessness
• history of offence
• mental health issues
• substance abuse

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ANASTASIA The Lost Princes
I never used to be confident enough to sing stuff
like that and show people my music and at this
place you make a lot of friends and Im not good
at making friends. But I got up the confidence to
talk to people and have fun. Just to be myself.
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CLAIRE Gods Shining Light When you are a youth
minister you cant be really uptight. I think it
would help a lot if you know how to be funny. I
like to communicate through laughter. I think
comedy will help me get as far as I can in the
youth ministry.
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LUCKY Spokesperson From the Margin
Its definitely the message coming across I
could be the best entertainer the worlds ever
seen yet I dont want to entertain. I want
people to learn listen and think, and that. Its
like, see people like me whos had it rough and
that I feel like, you know, that theyre the
ones with the hurt and emotion and need and all
that to come together can really make something
good. Like I needed something. It was like I
had nothing. And all of a sudden bang I first
seen right and I wanted to do right.
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JAKE The Five Ball Juggler
Drama is not my scene My dream is to work on a
farm, to own a wildlife sanctuary with fruit and
kangaroos and shit. If there are injured animals
Ill look after them.
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NICK The Gay Activist
I was just playing with the composition and
colour more than anything. And then I painted it
so it looked like pieces of paper put back
together and then I called it 'Torn', so I kind
of got an idea as I was going along. ..And I
thought oh its about two lovers. Its just this
image of this man who has got this picture of two
guys looking at his boyfriend and then they split
up and then he tears it up and then they get back
together and its like putting the pieces back
together again. So, its a bit of a story and
that actually happened in my life.
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Challenges

Negotiating access to institutions and
establishing programs (who has control of the
project?) Program management Attracting young
participants Engaging participants Retaining
participants Lack of regular attendance Lack of
continuity Identifying appropriate
artists Identifying appropriate field
researchers Working in research partnerships and
finding a common language
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Challenges of research
Gaps in the data Problems with access to
sites Inconsistent attendance by young people
Difficulty of working in rural areas which
involved travel Need for research training
Problems with analysis Time-consuming and
complex to analyse huge volume of data across
arts programs Collaborative research across
three disciplines produced tensions often
productive tensions
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Preconditions for engaging in arts programs
A safe space in which to work Appropriate
artists to work with the young people A program
which matches the aspirations and expectations of
the young people Artistic Outcomes
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A safe space in which to work

• Appropriate physical space
• Shared ownership and mutual respect
• Sense of community
• Supports transition to adulthood - not like
  school
• Relaxed atmosphere e.g. opportunity to smoke
• An artists space
• Support for basic needs e.g. food and transport

Here it is more of a family sort of environment.
You get to know each other as friends, not just
people we draw next to. Yeah, everyone
influences each other and we all get along.
Like when I do my artwork I relax when Im here.
Its just that kind of environment

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Appropriate artists

• Ability to establish a safe working space
• Understanding of young people at risk
• Flexibility
• Capacity to build group relationships
• Establishment of one-to-one working relationship
  with each young person
• Artistic credibility from the participants
  viewpoint
• Grounded aesthetic and a sense of youth culture
• Ability to offer constructive criticism without
  being patronising
• Consistency in relationships and in building
  working rituals
• Patience and the ability to last the distance
• Special qualities needed for the indigenous
  cohorts

Instead of pushing they sort of like just held my
hand or whatever
He helps me see it through and when I get
frustrated with it he just gives me confidence
and support to keep doin it somehow. He just
helps me sort things out. So yeah. He makes you
feel that everything is achievable. So yeah,
gives you confidence and stuff like that.

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Program which matches aspirations expectations

• Holistic program and purposeful skills
  development
• Balance between structure and openness
• Program which caters for individual difference
• Research component demonstrably values input of
  the
• participants
• Participants perceive themselves as artists
  working in
• a community of artists
• Using the young participants as experts

I love the music and I love making music. And I
love the fact that theres good people to make
music with.
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Artistic Product

• Public exhibition/performance/publication will
  be achieved
• irrespective of problems
• The outcome identified early in the program and
  built in stages
• Public achievement is scaffolded by artists, and
  workers
• Public recognition from family and community
• Tangible memorabilia from the outcome
• Presentation in a professional artistic space

If you are doing an art program you are going to
paint a picture. If you dont end up painting a
picture at some stage why have you done it in
the first place? So the process of how you get
there is really important to see the end result.
Thats why we run an exhibition. At the end of
the day, and every kids perception is that art
hangs on the wall, you finish your artwork and
you hang it on the wall, at home or in the
bloody art gallery.
Just the good feeling, seeing it done and
knowing Ive achieved something
My little brother doesnt really understand too
much but he loved it when I sent him the burnt
CDs so he took it to school and showed it to his
friends

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Outcomes for participants
Personal

Social
Artistic

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Personal Outcomes

• Enjoyment and fun
• Increased self-esteem and confidence
• Communication about oneself
• Focus and time management
• Personal reconstruction e.g. seeing oneself
• as an artist
• Presentational skills

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Social Outcomes

• Team work
• Building relationships with each other
• and adults
• Respecting others work
• Experiencing community
• Interpersonal skills
• Being heard

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Artistic Outcomes

• Increased artistic skills
• Sense of artistic achievement
• Persistence with an artistic task
• Identifying as an artist
• Working with other artists
• Experiencing the public arts event
• Turning personal stories into art

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Policy Implications of Findings
Working together There is evidence that
engagement in arts activities has distinct
benefits for marginalised young people but the
effectiveness of the arts programs will be
compromised if they are run in isolation from or
opposition to the institutional structures that
surround the young people.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Working together There is evidence that
engagement in arts activities has distinct
benefits for marginalised young people but the
effectiveness of the arts programs will be
compromised if they are run in isolation from or
opposition to the institutional structures that
surround the young people. For the programs to
be effective, it is essential that institutions
and youth services establish a culture of support
for interventionary arts programs and that there
are shared values and goals between the various
agencies and with the artists.
34
Policy Implications of Findings
Working together There is evidence that
engagement in arts activities has distinct
benefits for marginalised young people but the
effectiveness of the arts programs will be
compromised if they are run in isolation from or
opposition to the institutional structures that
surround the young people. For the programs to
be effective, it is essential that institutions
and youth services establish a culture of support
for interventionary arts programs and that there
are shared values and goals between the various
agencies and with the artists. Appropriate
institutional infrastructure is essential for the
programs to run. This includes a safe space,
timetabling, appropriate artists and scaffolded
artistic outcomes.
35
Policy Implications of Findings
Working together There is evidence that
engagement in arts activities has distinct
benefits for marginalised young people but the
effectiveness of the arts programs will be
compromised if they are run in isolation from or
opposition to the institutional structures that
surround the young people. For the programs to
be effective, it is essential that institutions
and youth services establish a culture of support
for interventionary arts programs and that there
are shared values and goals between the various
agencies and with the artists. Appropriate
institutional infrastructure is essential for the
programs to run. This includes a safe space,
timetabling, appropriate artists and scaffolded
artistic outcomes. There are benefits for young
people in collaborative partnerships between
youth services and other sectors, including the
arts and researchers, beyond what might be
possible for a single sector working alone.
36
Policy Implications of Findings
Working together There is evidence that
engagement in arts activities has distinct
benefits for marginalised young people but the
effectiveness of the arts programs will be
compromised if they are run in isolation from or
opposition to the institutional structures that
surround the young people. For the programs to
be effective, it is essential that institutions
and youth services establish a culture of support
for interventionary arts programs and that there
are shared values and goals between the various
agencies and with the artists. Appropriate
institutional infrastructure is essential for the
programs to run. This includes a safe space,
timetabling, appropriate artists and scaffolded
artistic outcomes, There are benefits for young
people in collaborative partnerships between
youth services and other sectors, including the
arts and researchers, beyond what might be
possible for a single sector working alone.
Young people need to be active members of these
partnerships and to be seen and heard.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Resourcing Arts Programs for Marginalised Young
People The nature of the cohort demands a high
ratio of artists and workers to young people.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Resourcing Arts Programs for Marginalised Young
People The nature of the cohort demands a high
ratio of artists and workers to young
people. Short term and ad hoc programs are less
effective. Marginalised young people need access
to long-term programs which provide ongoing
structures and sustained relationships and an
opportunity for them to move in and out.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Resourcing Arts Programs for Marginalised Young
People The nature of the cohort demands a high
ratio of artists and workers to young
people. Short term and ad hoc programs are less
effective. Marginalised young people need access
to long-term programs which provide ongoing
structures and sustained relationships and an
opportunity for them to move in and out.
Interventionary arts programs must ensure that
all basic and material needs are met, including
art materials, food and transport.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Research A qualitative ethnographic approach
privileges the voices of the otherwise
unprivileged and allows the researcher to access
material that cannot be accessed in any other
way.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Research A qualitative ethnographic approach
privileges the voices of the otherwise
unprivileged and allows the researcher to access
material that cannot be accessed in any other
way. The presence of ethnographic researchers in
arts programs can enhance the personal social and
artistic outcomes.for the young people.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Research A qualitative ethnographic approach
privileges the voices of the otherwise
unprivileged and allows the researcher to access
material that cannot be accessed in any other
way. The presence of ethnographic researchers in
arts programs can enhance the personal social and
artistic outcomes for the young people.
Qualitative research can give young people
agency and give status to the young peoples
opinions and their artmaking and product.
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Policy Implications of Findings
Research In these case studies the young people
recognised that involvement in the research might
assist other young people and introduce
beneficial changes to their life opportunities.
They welcomed the opportunity to share their
views on social and political issues as well as
on the arts.
44
Policy Implications of Findings
Research In these case studies the young people
recognised that involvement in the research might
assist other young people and introduce
beneficial changes to their life opportunities.
They welcomed the opportunity to share their
views on social and political issues as well as
on the arts.
Obviously I want to help youse out and get all
this stuff down be able to let everyone else l
know whats going on how we feel and that , how
things should be and like give other kids an
understanding of like about what they could be
doing. Like all these homeless people. The
Government should pay for their housing even if
its a shitty little house just something.
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Policy Implications of Findings
The arts are inherently subversive and challenge
expectations. Through privileging voices
that are seldom heard they can enrich the life
of our community.

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Risky Business Research Project

• A three year cross-disciplinary investigation of
  creative arts as an intervention activity for
  young people at risk in urban and rural Victoria
• Academic Disciplines
• Creative Arts
• Arts Education
• Criminology
• Australia Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project
  2002 - 2005