SUMMER SESSIONS @ THE ROSE COMMUNITY CLUBROOM, WANDSWORTH – RECAP

Been abit slow to update things on here, but here we are…

So over August I had the opportunity to run a two week summer programme of activity at the Rose Community Clubroom, where I’m currently working as an arts facilitator for an after school club here every Monday. I took it back to the good ol’ youth club days where a mix of arts & crafts, gaming & sports would be the main offering at the space, open to families in the local area. I remember a heavy amount of outreach I did as a youth worker, when we used to pop up with a gazebo & deliver projects in random council estates back in the day to get people engaged, so applied that same spirit around the area of the Rose which proved to be successful, *minus the gazebos! Theres something about simply approaching people in a human way to let them know “hey, whats up, we have this thing going on over here, feel free to pop over” – and then leave them be to make a decision, without any force or expectation – and you go back to the space & then they arrive 10mins later with curious wonderment, (you smile, they came) and they end up staying for the whole session – that’s something 🙂

We found that many of the existing families who’d regularly attend the Monday sessions prior to the August sessions were unavailable to attend due to planned holidays etc, so the outreach provided a means of attracting new members to the space who hadn’t even known about the centre or the fact that we run an afterschool club here 3-6pm each Monday for almost 2 years now (I started with the team May this year). Often, it’s either a lack of visibility / access or poor communication that fails a service for the people that need it most, I find. So just knowing you have a space that you can come to, once a week, with your family, in a safe space to connect & play, is essential for the wider well-being of a community, and society as a whole.

It was important to include local Wandsworth based creatives to support the summer session delivery, so we recruited the talents of Roopa Design for her ‘Voices of Wandsworth’ craft project, Gizem for her ‘Wall of Flowers’ art project & Chocolate Films for a stop-motion animation workshop. The gaming side was covered by E-sports, taking it back to those days playing Fifa with your mate, and getting hype when you score, or crying if you’d lose! Dance sessions were provided by movement specialist Simi, who managed to bring her energy & uplift the vibe. I provided the fashion based sessions which involved customizing accessories including baseball caps & belt bags.

Reflections:

There’s outreach, then there’s outreach

People just want space to connect

Utilize talent for the greater good

Being able to adapt is key

Working around boundaries

Spot what works

Be honest

Working in & around such environments, you have to navigate multiple networks of energy at once which can often consume you. My lived experience has equipped me with certain tools to manage myself & others in a safe way, in most cases, however that may not always be the case.

Moving forward, centering neurodiversity and trauma response training with safeguarding as part of normalized prep for artist / support workers / management should be a priority.

I normally measure the success of delivery not on how many numbers attend (of course this helps with gauging how many staff should be present during in each session) but on how many meaningful moments are shared throughout the sessions, which I guess you can’t quite quantify. You know when it’s been a good session, you feel it, other’s feel it, and we start over again the next day, the same people come back, and we go again, no two day’s are the same but at least you know it works, being there.  

I’d like to thank my fellow facilitators Nev, Nicky, Nicole & Fifi for supporting session delivery & management staff including Chetna, caretaker Benson, and external staff Kezia & young people from Youth Council, and Catherine for ensuring the financials were up to date. Thankyou to Nahwand Jeff for documenting the journey so far…

P