We finished the tape sculptures a couple of weeks ago now and they are very successful. We spend the half term holiday displaying the sculptures around the school, some in hidden places. This was very exciting for the young people to find them when they returned. They made their own little plaque's describing the work in their own words and signed their names for everyone to see. We placed 'hoping for peace' on top of a tall cabinet looking out over the young people, as we thought this was the most undisturbed place and 'feeling lonely' was put outside in a corner, amongst leaves and under a shelter to keep it dry. The decoration of the sculptures ties in with the concepts behind each one. We were so proud of the young people who produced each sculpture in 7 hours, spread over 7 weeks. They have been given a fantastic opportunity to create something truly unique and inspiring and have achieved so much socially with their team members, as well as creative skills they can pass onto others! :)
This has been a fantastic challenge for me too. I came into this wanting to learn about teaching young people and I have come out of it with so much more; I have gained confidence with each session and learned so many new techniques and ideas, from working within a creative team and from the young people themselves. When I first started I was very shy and felt as though I didn't know anything, but from listening to and observing the other staff and volunteers, I gained my own personal style of teaching. By the last lesson I was just getting into it and felt more comfortable, with having got to know everyone. But now its onto my next challenge of Egyptian mural painting with 8/9 year olds and I know I have a lot more to learn....
