There are clearly many complex practical and psychological factors influencing young people’s plans and life choices. It would therefore seem unreasonable to expect that an involvement in an OCG2 project, however stimulating and enjoyable, would have more than a marginal influence on most young people’s future plans. Nonetheless the evidence suggested that it did enhance confidence, introduce new skills and widen perspectives in ways that contribute positively to a young person’s thinking and development longer term.
Feedback from project facilitators – youth workers, teachers and community artists – indicated that OCG2 was highly regarded:
- It enabled partner organisations to extend their support to young people, and the scheme’s ability to cover costs that often act as a barrier to engagement was especially valued.
- Whilst many partners have run arts-based activities for young people, OCG2 offered them the opportunity to explore cultural and heritage themes for the first time, extending their youth work into a completely new field. The arts-based approach was valued for its ability to engage young people of all abilities.
- OCG2 enabled partners to run projects of an unusually high standard in terms of the quality of the artists involved, the quality of materials and equipment available, the timescale over which projects could be developed, the benefits of the Open College Network course framework, and the opportunity to publicly display and celebrate the young people’s achievements.
- The scope and flexibility of the scheme, which enabled project groups to have a big influence on what they chose to do, was highly valued and appreciated. It allowed projects to develop in a ‘natural’ way, controlled by the groups themselves.
- Many highlighted the visits they were able to make to a museum or gallery as a special strength of the scheme.
- The helpfulness and friendliness of the OCG2 team was also appreciated.