Venture
Transformations partnership project Media Mania working with Imagineer.
Tue 6:30 till 8:30 | Sat 12 till 2
Venture was a pilot project exploring the creation of employment opportunities for some of the most vulnerable young people in Coventry.
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It is the creation of an outdoor performance structure which creates the framework for training young people in technical aspects of production, sound, sound design and editing to include binaural soundscapes, crewing, stewarding as part of a citywide aim to create a pool and register of trained young people who can support a range of citywide events and activities leading to and beyond City of Culture 2021. The structure is powered by bicycles with 4 performers who interact with the audience inviting them to take part an extraordinary journey aboard the structure . The idea has been created by 20 young people who are currently not in employment education or training . The project will provide them with an opportunity to train with technical professionals and to learn skills related to outdoor work.
We received £9250 towards the project from the Road to 2021 fund through Heart of England and City of Culture Trust.
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The grant enabled participants to gain new creative and practical skills whiledeveloping their personal and social skills and generally enhancing their skill set.Participants have made good social and creative networks through the project, whichhas supported positive mental health and creative development. The consistentevaluation process and team building activities participants have taken part in hasallowed them to develop good reflective practice and communication skills. The majorityof participants taking part in the project have additional needs of some kind and mayhave found it difficult to take part in a longer term commitment at a college or university.The course has became a stepping stone for the participants enabling them on the routeto employment or ready for employment in any industry. The funding has allowed staff todeliver a practical course engaging participants that have become disengaged withfurther education or do not work well in traditional academic environments. The granthas enabled Media Mania and Imagineer with support from engineers and otherprofessionals to train a team of young adults to construct, dismantle and crew Venture.Participants experienced Venture’s first gig at the 2019 Shoot festival in Coventry. Thiswas a real opportunity to put the skills they had learnt into action. Taking part in a projectthat enables participants to experience active citizenship and social capital, buildingbridges and making links with other members of the community in Coventry through apositive and creative art piece that was made accessible in the City Centre for free.In 2019 Imagineer was asked to pitch Venture at a Mela in Newcastle to the UK Melapartnership, one participant from the project pitched for Venture supported by thefreelance tour booker. The pitch was successfully secured and we were commissioned to deliver Venture enabling young people that worked on the project to get paid work crewing on the 2nd November 2019 in Wolverhampton.