YOUTH CLUB
We have a weekly youth club that began shortly after we launched our temporary space in August 2019. We work from this space to build a programme of regular activity, including creative workshops and monthly socials.
PROGRAMME
Our programme has a few different strands as outlined here.We are largely a creative organisation and there are lots of skills to be learnt in creative processes. Overarching themes for our programming include self-representation, community organising and transferable skills that support our confidence and empower us. This stream of work is about long-term sustainability, supporting the development of core and embedded skills for the future of the project and the community.
GREEN
Over the years we have worked hard to improve the Green Space that our temporary building sits on, and young people regularly use to play on. There are lots of skills to learn when growing – and there has been lots of planting and weeding activities with families as part of our programme.
the BUILDING
The Portland Inn Project CIC (PIPCIC) is working towards the renovation of a disused pub building we were successfully given (through the process of Community Asset Transfer) by the council on a 25 year lease.
THE PORTLAND FELLOWSHIP
The Portland Inn Project Fellowship is an alternative education and training programme, aimed at individuals not currently in work, education or training, who would like to gain creative skills, learn about social and community arts and expand creative employability skills.
The fellows develop hands on practical skills in ceramics, like hand-building, throwing, mould making and press moulding, as well as slip casting, glazing techniques. They are trained by industry professionals and supported by The Portland Inn Project directors to develop their creative practice, and to develop their community organising skills. They are supported with monthly mentoring sessions to support you in setting and reaching your individual creative goals.
As part of our first fellowship, two individuals were supported to work on the conception, development and delivery of a brand new ceramic product, and then work with the team to take that product into production, and to use newly developed marketing skills to launch the product. We are excited to now be selling Blythe Taylor’s Portland Spoon. If you are interested in this beautiful ceramic spoon, have a look in our shop!
S.M.U.T
Singles + Mothers Unite Together. A women’s group for Portland Street – formed in 2020, we wanted to create a women-only gathering in response to a need for our own space to come together, relax, converse and importantly – laugh. Our first gathering was a dinner after lockdown – for some of us, it was the first time we’d come out on our own and without the kids for many months. Conversation is such an important part of the project – it is often the inspiration and reason for lots of decisions made on our programme. We listen to each other and come up with ideas and solutions in response to this. We look forward to S.M.U.T growing – and including trips to exciting places. The intention is to meet each season – on a full moon!
LEARNING
So much can be learnt through creative activity – and as such, the PIPPIN is fast growing into an alternative space for learning. Through the various strands of our programme, we learn lots through creative skills development – and are able to represent ourselves through the work that we make.
In Summer 2020 we set about creating a safe outdoor workshop space to embark on our programme to create a visual identity for The Portland Pigeon and its packaging and make The Big Portland Street Feast project happen with Alice Thatcher and Nutribox. This was not long after lockdown, where we had lots of doorstep conversations with families who voiced their concerns over an attainment gap wh en the children returned to school.
We knew that lots of skills are learnt by young people as part of our programme, but we decided we needed to improve the way we document this, so that we could share this with the schools that the young people attended. This then led to certifying the achievements of the children with a Discover Arts Award and creating a prototype for a Creative Passport in partnership with the Creative Education Partnership and YMCA.
We are developing our partnerships with other organisations and schools in the city in order for skills learnt in our neighbourhood to be recognised.
SOCIALS
We try and have socials on a monthly basis. It’s a great way of bringing our neighbourhood together and connecting through a variety of activity that is usually requested by residents. Over the years this has included dancing, DJs, bingo, karaoke, film screenings, bric a brac sales, pamper sessions for mums and lots of buffets. Kerry (mum, resident and support on the project) wrote the panto last year, and we want to make this an annual event.