Posted on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 at 10:18 by Jo Harker
Category: research, television/film, young people, youth arts | No Comments »
Groundbreaking DVD showing the impact of the arts on excluded pupils is available once more.
Everything Stopped is a highly acclaimed DVD resource that was produced last year by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, with support from Arts Council England.
Since its launch the film has been shown at numerous conferences and training events. The DVD has also been made freely available to anyone with an interest in this vital area of work. As word spread, however, the demand for copies was so high that the first pressing was quickly exhausted. We are therefore pleased to announce that the Foundation has commissioned a second pressing and is once again making the DVD available free of charge.
“I was kicked out of school… and everything stopped.”
Everything Stopped is a powerful and moving short film that follows a three-week intensive project led by Protein Dance, a professional touring dance company, working at the Arts Depot in Barnet with students from the Pavilion Study Centre, a local Pupil Referral Unit.
The film effectively documents the way in which the arts have a unique ability to reach out to young people in the most difficult circumstances and transform their view of themselves – and how other people view them.
“It’s as if they escaped into a different world.”
Film-maker Dan Williams followed the project from its first faltering steps to its culmination in an extraordinary public performance. The resulting DVD is a vital testimony to the impact that the arts can have on young people who have almost lost touch with the mainstream education system – and who, in many cases, have little sense of their own worth and potential.
“It’s things like this that can influence the rest of a person’s life.”
The film is also a revelation of the challenges that face artists and teaching staff in making such projects a success. In fact, the DVD is an essential resource for anyone involved in arts work in educational or youth justice settings. It has much to say, too, to those who have responsibility for policy and funding in this important area of work.
“Thank you for the DVD. I found it an incredibly powerful piece of work. A very impressive and moving presentation. I will be passing it on to other colleagues in our School Improvement Service.”
Everything Stopped has been used widely as a source of inspiration and as an advocacy tool by artists, teachers, managers, training agencies and local authorities. This is a limited second pressing of the DVD – make sure you get your copy now!
Copies of Everything Stopped are available, free of charge, on request from Nick Randell Associates youth arts consultancy. To obtain a copy please email.
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