Arts South Edinburgh Youth Arts Programme

30 young prople from Valley Park Community Centre based in the Southhouse area in Edinburgh completed an arts questionair to help their youth workers identify what kind of arts activities they would like to try out in their new community centre. Choices included graffiti art,arts and crafts, cartoon making, digital photography. The community centre manager approached Arts South Edinburgh to see if we could help them make this happen by identifying the resources and artists who could work with young people in the area to try out different arts and potentially produce art works which could eventually decorate the centre. ASE applyed to the Make a Splash! grant scheme - part of the People Making Waves programme co-ordinated by Volunteer Development scotland. People Making Waves is part of the Scottish Project, funded by the National Lottery through the Legacy Trust UK & the Scottish Arts Council. The ASE application was sucessful and we were delighted to be awarded £2000 towards the nine month project, ASE is contribut £565 of its own funds towards the project, which will enable us to plan 25 arts workshops over this period starting in September 2010.The Make a splash grant scheme is helping us to realise our plans to create a programme of informal art opportunities for local young people who have not had the experience of working directly with profeshional experienced artists who will help them to make art works for their centres and encourage them to try some thing new and creative in a safe place which wellcomes young people.The nine month period gives us time to plan, involve the young people and respond to their needs and intrests.