The Stride project in prisons, is a week-long intensive course packed with varying art forms. The participants are invited to draw on their own creativity and visions to think about the future in a forward-thinking way. They are also given the opportunity to create their own Utopian city that they would ideally like to live in. They create a manifesto that allows them to think about the world they would like to be a part of and how they can have a positive role to play and impact upon the city. Through this learner will open up their minds and allow themselves to think beyond where they are now and how they can actively achieve where they want to be.
Benefits of the arts in a prison environment
The use of arts in a prison environment allows the learners to:
- Gain new skills
- Find new passions
- Discover their strengths
- Think about their aspirations
- Develop constructive criticism
- Demonstrate improvements
- Gain confidence
- Work in teams
Through discovering their strengths and having these and their talents acknowledged it helps to build confidence in the participants’ abilities. Through working as a team as well as individually, the participants build up trust and it helps to develop their creativity as they explore ideas and gain praise from each other as well as the facilitators
Who is the project suitable for?
This project can be easily tailored to fit any age, gender or groups within a prison setting. The daily workshops are all self-contained so they are flexible to accomodate your needs and any time period required. The workshops are designed to provoke and encourage creativity thus leading to varying outcomes depending on the group or circumstance.
Feedback
What did they think
“At the beginning of the week I had no idea what it was getting myself into but have loved every. second™
“I never thought you would be able to tell a story by only using pictures as prompts”
“The constructive feedback from one of the facilitators made my poems more powerful.”
“You treated us with respect.”
What did we think
“The participants feel comfortable in the space “
“I was leaving without preconceptions”
“All the goals they set for themselves were achieved”
“It was amazing to see the change in confidence”
“Every member of the group performed despite their nerves”