Project Background
This unique project is for young people living in Upper North Belfast, off the Crumlin road, near to the former Crumlin road Courthouse, Gaol and Girwood Barracks. These politically iconic buildings are now closed and much debate has been and is taking place about how they will be used in the future. This project gave young people a voice in a politically sensitive environment.
Art and Social Justice
To ensure the voices of young people are heard, Upper North Belfast Community Empowerment Project, which is part of the North Belfast Action Unit approached Gerri Moriarty, a Community Artist and Stakeholder Developments for their assistance
The Space Project
The Space Project was created and Redmak was asked to design and run the Space Vision Workshop. For 3 hours in a community center in Belfast, Farida Makki helped the young people put their thoughts into visual messages to create a poster to kick start their campaigning.
The Vision Workshop
The project group of young people were very enthusiastic about getting the opportunity to travel to Gateshead for inspiration and then back in Belfast to work with an architect, a cartoonist, musicians and a film maker. Although this way of working is very new to them the project is shaped round their interests and talents. For Redmak the Vision workshop was a real example of what an explosion of talent and drive these young people have and using drawings, graffiti, words, sculpture and poetry they encapsulated their dreams for a future space for young people
Creating a Voice
The young people feel there is a lack of facilities for young people and are asking :
‘Where can we go? Where we can learn and create? Where can we meet our friends and make new friends? We’ve seen how other places work for young people and help them build a healthy lifestyle’. This group wants to know if adults are thinking about young people when they are drawing up their redevelopment plans?
The Bus Tour
Belfast’s familiar red tour buses were put to a very unusual purpose on the afternoon of Friday December 1st ; young people took over as the tour guides, showing decision-makers round their area, as part of telling them about their ideas and hopes for the future re-development
The Film
The buses left from the Vine Center, Crumlin Road at 13.45 on Friday afternoon and was followed by a film which the group have made to sum up the strength of their feelings. The central message of the film is ‘Give Us a Future; We Deserve Better’
The Space Group
Deborah, Jolene, Danielle, Jacqueline, David, William, Samantha, Paul, Natasha
Neil, Jordan, Stephanie, Leah, Jamie, Jackie, Leeanne and Mark. Supported by youth workers Janice Beggs and David Surgenor.
The Artists
John Comerton (film-maker)
Farida Makki (Redmak Architects)
Kate Pankurst (cartoonist)
Klaire Jamieson (music producer)
Credits
The project concept was by Ruth Moore (UNBCEP) and was designed and co-coordinated by Gerri Moriarty (community artist) and Louise Reddick (Stakeholder Developments)