Creative Consultations: Connecting Your Organisation with its Communities
Digital Voice is known for giving a voice to people of all ages and helping them get their messages across in a variety of ways. Over the years we have helped communities to think about where they live and what they would like to see happen there to make their lives better. If your organisation would like to consult a particular community in a more creative way, read on to discover more about our different approaches. Newcastle City Council’s Arts Development Team commissioned us to do a creative consultation with five groups of young people across Newbiggin Hall Estate With Newcastle Arts Development Team we worked in partnership with Action for Children, and the Newbiggin Hall Play and Youth Providers Network to provide an intensive creative programme on Newbiggin Hall Estate which was a local creative response based on needs, feelings, and dreams for the future. Each group used a different form of creative digital media to voice their opinions and tell the partners what they wanted.
“It’s given me something worthwhile that I’d like to develop more.”
DigitalMe Photography
We worked in partnership with Projects4Change to support a group of young women to respond to the consultation with a photo-art project. The group learned how to use a variety of apps to create these engaging pieces. This format gives people a voice while remaining anonymous.
Filmmaking - Inspire Youth
Inspired Youth run a youth club in Newbiggin Hall. We helped the young people they work with produce a film about what they like about where they live and their hopes for the future in a fun and engaging way.
Documentary Photography
We worked with a group of families supported by Action for Children to find out what they liked about the area and what they would like to see. They worked together to create these colourful digital collages.
DigitalMe film- Newbiggin Hall; what we want
Our award-winning DigitalMe approach was a great way to consult the group from D2 Youthzone. They regularly attend D2 and appreciate the support they receive and had some interesting insights into how young people could be better served and how the estate could be improved for everyone.
FilmMaking - Bedeburn
Bedeburn is a respite centre on the estate for young people with additional needs. It was great to involve them in the consultation too so their voices are heard.
“[what was most useful was] Learning about photography, taking photos and editing, making a collage out of the work I had done to put out to the media as to what is needed for people in the local community.”
The creative consultation has given the partnership an opportunity to find out what the need on the estate is. They will use this creative response to build and develop new programmes of inclusive work across the estate, which will clearly reflect the cultural needs and aspirations of local people and our partners. The consultation will catalyse longer-term access to appropriate cultural activity on the estate.
Digital Voice is happy to discuss your organisation’s needs to consult your communities in a range of fun, creative ways.
