Locked Up
“Coming in 2024...”
An interactive drama project to create a safe space to engage with and inspire young people with experience of the care system, who are at risk of offending, in Leeds throughout 2024. The young people will watch our performance Locked Up (about growing up in the care system) and then attend an arts-based workshop. The performance and workshop will encourage the young people to reflect on the themes of the performance and respond creatively to it, increasing their employability skills through problem solving, spatial–temporal performance and executive function.
Some of the young people in Leeds will be able to perform their creative response at a live, public performance, thereby offering them paid employment and the chance to consider / ‘try out’ a career in the arts. Locked Up will be delivered throughout 2024 and will trial and test live/digital performances and arts workshops with young people with lived experience of the care system for 2025-2027 as well as build partnerships for imagine if with third sector organisations that work with this demographic, such as Archway in Harehills.
“It was dark for so long, but I’m starting to see the light” Young person in care, Horton Housing (Bradford) on working with imagine if.
As well as delivering the performance and workshop live across Leeds, we are also creating a digital version so organisations across the UK that work with young people with experience of the care system are able to screen the performance and run the workshop themselves.
“Young people who are care experienced are more likely than their peers to enter the criminal justice system, become homeless, and less likely to be in further education, employment, or training. Children in the care system are also more at risk of experiencing poor mental health and often suffer from mental health issues which are more severe or complex.” The Care System is Failing Young People, 2021.
Chesca Joy, imagine if’s founding Artistic Director and CEO, has personal lived experience of the care system. Chesca’s shared identity with the project’s demographic and strong relationship with a wide network of partners means we can provide specific targeted arts activities that address the unique needs of this vulnerable group. We can also build stronger connections with them and ensure we have an up-to-date knowledge of current developments and issues within the relevant sectors; and that we have a thorough understanding of current needs which imagine if can address through arts-based interventions.
Evidence suggests that engaging in the arts can improve wellbeing, family connections, motivation, and resilience; and provide opportunities for self-reflection and education (Anglia University, 2017). This, in turn, has a benefit for society by creating safer, more productive, cohesive communities. Locked Up aims to improve skills, aspirations, access to future opportunities for young people; provide opportunities for young people to have fun, find a hobby, make friends, and address barriers to learning/attainment.
If you are interested in having Locked Up delivered for your organisation and service users, please email: chesca@imagineiftheatre.co.uk
Requirements to deliver the performance and workshop:
-We need a large room to accommodate the performance and workshop, with chairs, tables and plug sockets available.
-The performance will last approximately 15 minutes and the workshop following it will last approximately 2-3 hours dependent on the group’s needs. We will need 2 hours prior to the performance and workshop to set up the space within your venue plus 1-2 hours post to clear the space.
-The minimum group numbers we can deliver to is 10 young people, the maximum is 30.
-The cost for the performance and workshop is based on a flexible payment scale dependent on your organisation’s income (the digital version is at a reduced cost).
-We are in a research and development phase for Locked Up until Spring 2024, we are looking to tour across venues in Leeds throughout August 2024 (the public performance element will be later in 2024).