workshop Vs project

[unjulation]

i came across a thought/flash ov genius/demented idea - the other day which was namley -

when trying to use the concept/skil/idea ov vj'ing within a workshop space for the, very loseley known concept of "youth" what is the best way to tackle this concept

initialy what springs to mind is technical and artistic workshops that cover the skills and concepts that can be linked to the process of createing a finell output at a "gig"

then comes the thought - " well if i would see it as a bunch of middle clasess paying for them selves and there own ideals", which i have allways thought workshops were/are so this forces me to look for other concepts about this

which got me thinking about my own experiances and the fact that it was group projects that have allowed me to take responsobility for my own actions and working in groups of diseperate inderviduals that have empowerd me rarther then any specific skill per-say

so this leads me to think that realy if you are wanting to empower peeps upon the road to self responsobility - a bit high faluteing for a tuesday, maybe, but bare with it, then i think it might be an idea to start looking at project based workshops rarther then skill training

just an idea............

[PilotX]

actually couldn't agree with you more.. I've got two workshops at youth centres this week, and really they are less about learning skills and more about occupying kids time for a couple of evenings - we teach those that are interested the live end of things but not production (at least not yet, needs a series of workshops)..

one of the more interesting series we did was a project to create an a/v piece with a group of kids (15-18) which expressed how they felt about the local area with an eye to councillors seeing it and hopefully each getting more involved with the other.. that was really good, although I don't think the councillors listened to the kids, nor the kids to the councillors it was enjoyed and worthwhile enough that we are looking like repeating it..

I also think that pixnmix, althoguh it was with adults, showed a way that could be good, perhaps working with a school or college to spend enough time teaching people to create a live set which would then be performed - more thna just skills as there is a performance at the end - not just saying here is how you do it but also go and do it..

also just some thoughts

[unjulation]

I've got two workshops at youth centres this week, and really they are less about learning skills and more about occupying kids time for a couple of evenings
now thats exactly what i have thought after doing my seconecd stint at the breeze festi (http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/features/get_together/summer/2004/breeze_2004/on_tour.shtml)
which has consisted ov basickly "babysiting" inderviduals
hence these thoughts
so
what i would realy like to discus is that of how create a space that both conects to what a city council would like/need to happen within there peramitors (we are talking every thing from education, to polotics, who is going to be the next primeminister, etc etc)
to
what is actualy the best way for an indervidual within a cirtain situation, whatever that may be, to..........
nows hears the rub, what do i/we actualy whant to empart to anouther indervidual?
something like........
the ability to think for them selves
which then means.....
if they then tern tern round and bite you on the bum ;)

[PilotX]

Originally posted by unjulation
now thats exactly what i have thought after doing my seconecd stint at the breeze festi
which has consisted ov basickly "babysiting" inderviduals


I recognise that kind of thing - last time we did something like that we got put between two competing R&B soundsystems. that wasn't fun.. anyway..

Originally posted by unjulation
what i would realy like to discus is that of how create a space that both conects to what a city council would like/need to happen within there peramitors[/b]

yeah, I don't really know a complete answer for this .. the great think about filmish or a/v pieces is that you can begin by focusing the ideas of the piece around something that the city council want young people to think about .. and then let them twist it around to make something the council won't really like ;) .. the hardest problem I think is that the council or whoever are most likely to say lets do something on drugs and alcohol, or teenage pregnancy or something equally as overdone and boring for the kids .. so I think that you need people who are able to get the kids ot express themselves freely, and then try to channel that expression into the film and music that gets created. Hopefully at the end 4 main things will have been achieved:

1 - Creation of an a/v piece that the young people feel is theirs

2 - teaching of skills & showing young people one option in terms of work/life that is probably not shown in school

3 - getting the young people to think about the issue(s) that are raised in the film, to arrive at and/or express their own viewpoint on the issue, thus leading to

4 - getting the council to think about the young peoples views as expressed and how this relates to the council & the community it serves.

to me, it is 3 & 4 which are most important .. and these cannot be achieved without a project based workshop..

In trying to achieve 3, I hope that we would get young people to think for themselves, and would work to not lead them down a path .. it is important for them to lead us, and for us to show them the way when they need it..

but experience says it's really tough to do these .. teaching skills is difficult unless someone wants to learn .. creating an a/v piece is relatively easy but getting young people to do it can be difficult ..
as for getting them to express their own views, thats hard .. alot will simply regurgitate the views they know they are supposed ot hold, those that were thrust at them at school .. and lets be honest, how many councils listen seriously to people who can't yet vote?

[unjulation]

good points - just something that kinda shows what we are up agaist - i dont think that this would be a confined just to our city councill

on one hand there are grafitie workshops runing that allow inderviduals to lern the skills/confidance to use a spray can

and on the outher hand/department (lol)

they spend millions trying to rid the city of grafitie

its prety fucked up realy :rolleyes:

anyway - what i serpose im trying to do is capture that moment that i've experianced where you sudenly realise that you are part of something that you visulised yourself a part of, something that you wanted and have put the efort into to become part of

you know that moment?

its that experiance, as far as i can see, that can caterpault an indervidual from inirtia into motion, which is all we can realy expect from anyone - myself includeing - i serpose im talking "worse case sernirio" situations ware your dealing with peeps that percive that they are in a "seige situation mentality"

so

its about how you then recreate the path that you led you to that thought that allowes for any inderviduals own experiance and perception

now

as has been mentioned there is an aspect of alowing the "clients" to conect to there own envirioment - which can engage them but can i put the idea of "what if the enviroment per say is not something that you would wish upon your worst enamy" -

my thinking hear

its based useing this as a "base line" - yes i know that psycherlogicaly speaking the quote "what doesent kill us makes us stronger" - ie the whole point of faceing them with there very existance, enviroment includeing, is, or cirtainly feels like to me, an initiation by fire - " heare it is, your enviroment, think about it and feel what you feel in realtion to that"

what about if you gave them a doorway to a space ware its safe, away from the preshures of the day to day existance, ware all that matters is makeing sure the rig is working and your computer is not going to crash

kinda touching upon the caracter that you play/become when you tern up at a gig and lay it all down

i think......?

edited to add the words i forgot to type ;)

[PilotX]

:) I'm gonna have to leave your words to run around my head for a day or so probably Unj ... there's some mighty points in there that I can't adress of the top of my head. but I will be back ..

[TOBYDOG]

I am a Youth worker and think the idea of VJ Workshops is a great idea.I am trying to get one sorted in Lincolnshire so if you want to take this idea any further ,please reply and we can get some ideas together why not Grafitti VJ ing its all creative and positive.

[PilotX]

Originally posted by TOBYDOG
I am a Youth worker and think the idea of VJ Workshops is a great idea.I am trying to get one sorted in Lincolnshire so if you want to take this idea any further ,please reply and we can get some ideas together why not Grafitti VJ ing its all creative and positive.

:) I think me and unj are probably both a bit far from Lincolnshire (I'm in Birmingham, Unj is in Leeds) to help you directly - though I'm sure there are good vjs closer to you..

I kinda outlined what we'd do in my posts above in terms of a project based workshop series - the outcomes are listed in a form anyway.. I think that it is key that you have not just vjs but also someone who is more a youth worker to help the kids express themselves.. a vj might be able to fill both these roles, but also might not.. and you'd need both the skills in video and also in dealing with young people for such a project to succeed..