BREAKING OUT OF EXPECTATIONS
2024
In the heart of County Durham, a groundbreaking project is challenging societal perceptions and empowering marginalised young people to find their voices, work with artists and create their world.
Working with in partnership with East Durham based youth arts programme Creative Youth Opportunities (CYO) ‘Breaking Out of Expectations’ is an initiative aimed at building a platform for easy-to-ignore young people from the Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) community and those being supported by detached youth work to express themselves, challenge stereotypes and build agency to guide their own, more creative, future on their own terms with new skills and experiences.
The (Developing) Project
"Breaking Out of Expectations" is connecting with young people who are often easy-to-ignore, offering them opportunities to engage in creative activities, have new cultural experiences and develop their skills. The project operates in two specific localities: Horden and Ash Green Way.
The project was a response to No More Nowt identifying that whilst young people had led and shaped a number of our projects this has been via traditional youth services, colleges and schools and that there were voices and stories that we were not telling.
Horden: Reaching Out to ‘Detached’ Young People
In Horden, the project works with vulnerable young people who are disengaged from education and at risk of exploitation.
Through detached youth work, CYO staff engage with these individuals on the streets, building relationships and offering support, aiming to connect them with safer more accessible spaces. The goal is to help these young people find their voices and break free from negative stereotypes that can have a huge impact on their lives and the way they exist in the place. The work centres around connecting these young people with the Park House in Horden Welfare Park, where CYO hold regular youth provision. The project began with a focus on lads but quickly expanded to include a separate strand of work empowering young women particularly at risk of exploitation, many of whom are not in main stream education.
“This is the story about where we’re from, it’s rough and ready so don’t come along. Trying to stay right around so much wrong.”
“Everyday life, we got to stay strong. Stay on the path it is hard to see. But there is vision in me.”
“I know what its like to be you, I know what you have been through, And I know this story is true, Because we have been through it too.”
Ash Green Way, Bishop Auckland: Empowering Traveller Girls
At Ash Green Way, a permanent Traveller site in Bishop Auckland, the project focuses on empowering young girls who face societal expectations of traditional gender roles. The girls are encouraged to challenge the perceived norms in relation to female Gypsy Roman Traveller (GRT) young people.
The group have been exploring future possibilities through self-expression and creating art - in their case, working with musicians to craft their own songs in styles that mean something to them, and encouraging the young people to pursue their ambitions on their own-terms, in their own words. The
Listen to one of the tracks “Bad Girls Gypsy Life” by the Ash Green Way girls - give it spin!
“We come from nicknames. From being divas. From gymnastics and making up dances and dressing up for no reason.”
“We come from loving horses, dogs and goats, from playing out all summer and the gorgeous smell of Granny’s chicken curry or cheese and beans on toast.”
Challenges and Opportunities
The project has faced several challenges, including limited resources, staff turnover, and the difficulty of capturing the experiences of the young people involved. However, this has also all presented opportunities for project growth and development, especially as the young people themselves provide the single biggest opportunity as bi-product of producing great art.
Impact and Outcomes
While the project is still ongoing, early indications suggest that it is having a positive impact on the lives of the young people involved, allowing them to feel heard. Participants have reported increased confidence, improved communication skills, and a greater sense of belonging.
Conclusion
"Breaking Out of Expectations" is a valuable initiative that highlights the importance of providing marginalised young people with opportunities for cultural expression and empowerment. By challenging stereotypes and creating safe spaces for young people to explore their identities, lives, and cultures, the project is helping to build a more inclusive and equitable society, where these young people are valued, connected, heard, and have a place within our collective cultures and place.
CYO are developing a framework of learning and practice as a result of the project.
Project partners:
— Commissioned by No More Nowt, produced by Creative Youth Opportunities
— All of the participants across Horden and the GRT community of Ash Green Way
— Artists include Kema Kay, Jenni Mac, Hero Wuff and Katharine Goda.
— The project was grown and developed from learning and relationships from previous youth led work including Above Below Beyond, the Horden Healthy Happy Places project, Horden’s Partnerships for People and Place (PfPP) project funded through DLUHC and the Missing Women project led by CYO (specifically the work with Ash Green Way)
