In the discussion on neighbourhood renewal there is a tendency in research to overlook the contribution of arts. In response to PAT 10 the Arts Council commissioned a report to examine good practice principles in delivering ‘social inclusion work’ (Jermyn 2004)*.


For artists delivering projects


 Having flexible and adaptable working methods


 Working collaboratively with participants


 Pursuing quality - both in the process and the outcome


 Responding to individuals’ needs


For those planning and co-ordinating projects


 Building in time to plan and research projects


 Setting clear and realistic aims and objectives


 Incorporating appropriate participant recruitment strategies


 Supporting people’s participation by meeting their practical needs


 Adopting procedures that protect the safety of artists and participants


 Building robust


partner ships ensuring sustainability


 Having a clear evaluation strategy


 Creating a working structure which supports the effective working of freelance artists.


 Equipping projects with the appropriate staff and resources.


Fig. 2.5 Good Practice from Art Council’s response to PAT 10


Success, as Jermyn (2004)* reflects is not always in the form of medals and awards. Something as simple as a participant printing out his name without any help or a person borrowing a book from the library because he had enjoyed reading an excerpt from it during a project are significant in the context of the change in a young person’s attitude.


Arts and sport are not just an ‘add-on’ to regeneration work. They are fundamental to community involvement and ownership of any regeneration initiative when they offer means of positive engagement in tune with local interests.


Arts and sport, cultural and recreational activity, can contribute to neighbourhood renewal and make a real difference to health, crime, employment and education in deprived communities. This is because they:


 appeal directly to individuals’ interests and develop their potential and self-confidence  relate to community identity and encourage collective effort  help build positive links with the wider community


 are associated with rapidly growing industries (PAT 10)*


2.3 PAT 12


The PAT 12 on Young People was one of 18 teams set up following the Social Exclusion Unit’s report on neighbourhood renewal, published in September 1998. The report examined how to ensure that each young person has the best possible start in life and the opportunity to develop and achieve their full potential. The report concluded that to achieve this aim barriers relating to gender, ethnic background, disability, or where people live must be broken down. The combination of poverty, family conflict, poor educational opportunities and poor services, make this difficult if not impossible whilst Many find themselves apparently destined for a life of underachievement and social exclusion.


Partnerships


 Setting clear aims and objectives that were understood by partners


 Delivering projects that fitted naturally with organisations’ respective goals


 Being realistic about the level of contribution individual partners could make


 Discussing how the partnership would work


 Creating strong


partnerships with non-arts agencies.


Sustainability


 Funding issues  Weak partnerships


 Dependence of work on a limited pool of individual artists and small organisations


 Arts organisations did not always tackle the sustainability issue seriously enough, early enough


Building on the introduction of the Connexions Service, Sure Start programme, and the Working Families’ Tax Credit the reports main recommendations fell into four categories:


 New objectives and structures, to improve the way Government develops and implements policy for young people


 Shifting the balance of effort and resources over time into preventing young people from encountering the worst problems rather than fire-fighting when they are already in deep trouble


 Improving individual services for young people


 Designing policies around the needs and priorities of young people - not least through involving them in thinking about policies and services and in their delivery


2.4 Game Plan


Game Plan: A strategy for delivering Government’s sport and physical activity objectives was published as a joint document by DCMS and the Strategy Unit in 2002.


Recognising the participation of individuals in sport and physical activity Game Plan examined how Government could add value identifying two objectives, namely:


 A major increase in participation in sport and physical activity, primarily because of the significant health benefits and to reduce the growing costs of inactivity; and


 A sustainable improvement in success in international competition, particularly in the sports that matter most to the public, primarily because of the “feel good factor” associated with winning


In order to achieve this, Game Plan made the following recommendations:


 Grassroots participation: a wide range of initiatives are needed, with a focus on economically disadvantaged groups, in particular young people (the focus of much current policy), women and older people. These need to tackle all the barriers to participation (such as lack of time, cost, information or motivation), as well as failures in provision (poor coaches or facilities).


 High Performance sport: there needs to be a better prioritisation of which sports are funded at the highest level; better development of talented sportsmen and women to help them reach that level; with funding streams and service delivery more focused on customer needs.


 Mega sporting events: there should be a more cautious approach to hosting these events. A set process for government involvement, including a clear assessment of the benefits is needed.


 Delivery: organisational reform and determining exactly what works is needed before the Government considers further increases to its investment in sport. Less money should go to bureaucrats and more to the end user. Public, private and voluntary sectors need to work together better towards a common goal.


2.5 Raising the Bar


The Independent Sports Review (‘Raising the Bar’) published in September 2005 was the first comprehensive, independent review of sport in the United Kingdom for over forty years. Chaired by two former Sports Ministers and drawing on the expertise of a review group drawn from sporting champions and senior administrators ‘Raising the Bar’


Highlights what is good about sport in the United Kingdom and it seeks to build upon the positive steps that have already been taken. Where there are failings, positive - and often radical - alternatives are proposed.


Over an eighteen month period consultation took place with some 300 sports bodies in eight countries and with many thousands of individuals. The report stated that:


A successful sports policy requires a comprehensive, national network of sporting opportunity. Through this network, every man, woman and child must be able to play their chosen sport at their chosen level. Every child should have their sporting talent identified, and the opportunity to develop it to its full potential. That requires a nationwide system with clearly accountable delivery mechanism.


To make this vision a reality, there are certain fundamental principles that have to be embraced and translated into policy.


 A modern, streamlined and efficient framework  Emphasis on youth  Success by system, not chance  A reduced bureaucracy


page 16 *Refer reference pages 45 - 46


The references underlined in this report can be hyperlinked on the electronic version via the Youth Charter website: www.youthcharter.co.uk


page 17


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