Graeme Roger (creative producer/artist/video designer) and Dave Martin (sound artist and musician) are experienced artists and facilitators based in the Northeast of Scotland – they have collaborated with RCS Fair Access on several projects over the past seven years including Sounding Out. The Melwood Project builds on the success of that project and their ongoing engagement with care groups in schools in Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Supported by Aberdeenshire’s Virtual Head Teacher and staff within Meldrum Academy, we ran a six-week project with Graeme, Dave and eight young people aged 12 – 17 who are part of the school’s care group.
Drawing inspiration from the sights and sounds of cultural and rural locations in Aberdeenshire, the young people created a sound and video installation which was displayed in their school hall for the staff, students and invited guests.
Images, sound and film were collected using industry-standard equipment which the young people were trained to set up and operate. Curation of the final material was supported by Graeme and Dave.
The project aimed to:
- Increase confidence and self-worth in the young people
- Improve teamwork and communication skills
- Create opportunities for the young people to express themselves
- Foster a sense of pride and value in the young people
- Develop technical skills using photographic, film and sound equipment
- Widen the young people’s horizons and aspirations for further training
“We give them an experience that they can understand, and they can record and film and use the equipment. But we do it in a way that is accessible and it’s not pretentious. It’s like look, come and explore this toy that I’ve loved to play with, and you spread that joy and passion that you have for film and sound and music.”
(Artist)
The approach
Young person-led activity is at the heart of Graeme and Dave’s practice. Their experience is that one formula doesn’t work for every group, or every session. They (and their equipment) are the constants, and everything else adapts in response to where the young people are at and what they need in that moment.
“A big part of this is just responding to what’s happening rather than having a set formula. Whatever happens we go with that.” (Artist)
The sessions are fun, stress-free and don’t put any pressure on the young people to do anything they don’t want to do. Graeme and Dave are always looking for ways to draw in every member of the group, to give everyone a role in the work.
“Everyone feels included everyone is having fun and there is something for everyone to do.” (Young person)
Placing trust in the young people is an important element of their work. The groups are taught how to operate high-end cameras and sound equipment, gaining them new technical skills and knowledge. Being given the opportunity to take on responsibility builds self-belief, confidence and encourages problem solving.
“Definitely how to use a camera, because I love taking pictures. Like, and to get these, like, expensive cameras and equipment, it’s amazing. Cause you can just like go and be free and like take pictures of whatever.” (Young person)
Graeme and Dave are skilled at putting young people at ease – they value conversation, connection and acknowledgement of all kinds of achievement – creative, personal and social. The young people see Graeme and Dave as different from the adults in other areas of their lives where pressure and stress is felt.
“This group kind of just gives you like a break from reality in a way. Like we have so much stress going on at school, this group kind of gives you like a couple of hours of like respite.” (Young person)
Other factors that helped us achieve the project:
| Established group | The established care group means familiarity and safety for the young people who have created their own support network. | |
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| Invested partners | Commitment to the project from support staff within the school and council who understand and believe in the approach. | |
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| Expertise | The artist’s expertise and experience of working in social care and youth justice bring a confidence to challenges met in the work. | |
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| New experiences | The opportunity to visit different places and meet with new people (trips to Aberdeen Art Gallery, Seal Beach and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) widens horizons and perspectives. | |
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| Artform passion | The artist’s genuine passion for their work and enjoyment of engaging young people is infectious and inspiring for the young people. |
What next?
Graeme and Dave are currently working on Project ID – a multimedia arts project focusing on film, photography and music production for young people facing barriers to participation – in partnership with Aberdeenshire Virtual School.
For future projects, they aspire to:
- run larger-scale projects with a team of like-minded artists, particularly dance/drama practitioners and emerging young female artists.
- continue working with the care groups they have already established a practice with and deepen this work.
- roll out this activity with other care groups in schools across Scotland.
You can read a PDF of the report called ‘Let’s Talk About’ here.
