Background to the project

Eden Court delivers a range of creative arts activities for young people across the Highlands through its Cashback funding. Eden Court works in partnership with youth organisations to enable them to engage with young people from across the vast Highland area.

This project was delivered in partnership with the Cameron Youth Centre.

Purpose of the project: Access and participation

The purpose of the project was to provide access opportunities for young people who otherwise would not participate in arts activities.

Project delivery

Eden Court worked with Cameron Youth Centre on two projects:

• Initially Eden Court delivered a programme of activities leading to a dance music video in late autumn 2012
• 6 week sessions with dance, music and film where the young people made a film.

The project introduced the young people to all aspects of film-making through taster sessions. The tasters were useful as many of the young people had pre-conceptions about different roles (e.g. some of the boys were scornful of the drama element, but later got involved in things that they had originally dismissed). Young people then decided which element they wanted to be involved in and worked in teams on the different elements of the film.

The group produced a film which was screened at Eden Court.

Outcomes for young people

This project displays a very high level of additionality – the majority of the young people who attended had not had any previous involvement in arts activities.

The project also provided opportunities for sustained engagement – three of the young people on the original dance /music video project progressed onto the second project.

The young people learned lots of new skills: camera skills, editing, creating scripts for film, and some were also involved in music production. Participants also gained in confidence from the experience.

“most of them had never had the opportunity to touch that kind of equipment”

At the end of the project, participants were invited to a screening of their film at Eden Court. This was a positive experience, both in terms of validating their achievement, but also widening access for young people, as “a lot of the kids at this school don’t have the money to go to Eden Court normally”.

What has happened as a result

The success of the project has resulted in the development of sustainable arts activities for young people at the Cameron Centre. The Centre has now employed the Eden Court dance instructor (on a sessional basis) to run a weekly dance class to the end of the year. They are hoping to provide on-going activities for the existing group but also to attract different groups of young people to come to these activities.

The Centre is also applying for funding to develop an active youth club – doing dance, film, music, drama.

The project has also built an interest and demand for creative activity among the young people (most of whom attend Inverness Academy.) Previously, there was no dance or drama club at the school, but as a result of the success of the music/dance/video projects the Cameron Centre has persuaded the school to enter the Rock Challenge. Many of the young people from the project became part of the core of the Rock Challenge group.

The Rock Challenge® is a performing arts competition for secondary schools. The focus of this friendly and vibrant competition is on young people leading healthy lifestyles and being their best without the need for tobacco, alcohol and illegal substances.

The centre has used the interest in arts activity which was demonstrated by this project to persuade the school to enter the Rock Challenge for the first time (Inverness Academy will perform in the Rock Challenge in February 2014 at Eden Court).

The intention is that the development of the Rock Challenge will encourage more arts activity in the school in general – dance and video.

“all of that has come about as a result of letting the kids see how good dance / film / music can be”.

Cashback investment: Eden Court £50,000 (this is only one of the many projects delivered by Eden Court)