What People Say
If you’re new to Hybrid Arts we have a short film produced by BECTA that serves as an introduction to what we do -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7kxUggCA2s&feature=channel_page
We have received national recognition from Becta (the British government’s lead partner in the strategic development and delivery of its e-strategy for the schools and learning skills sectors) in the form of a number of case studies conducted by and on behalf of the agency.
In May 2008 Hybrid Arts were visited by Liam Byrne MP, Minister for the West Midlands, to see first hand the work young people are doing with new digital media. Byrne’s vision is to make the West Midlands the new media centre of the world, with the region’s young people at the forefront. He spoke with our young people to learn about their individual experiences and ideas, from the unique perspective of those who have experienced disengagement from conventional academic learning.
“You get to see a lot of things in this job, and you should be really proud of what you’ve done here. It’s one of the most extraordinary things I’ve seen since I became the Regional Minister.” Liam Byrne MP
Award Winning
Achievements
Hybrid Arts has won 2 British Business Awards – the first in 2004 for Investor in Young People and the second Social Enterprise of the year 2006. The Company has made presentations on behalf of AWM and the Region at Brussels and works closely with Government Office West Midlands in Europe. In 2007 Hybrid Arts won at the Positive Practice awards in the Information Sharing – Joining Health and Social Care category for the innovative harm reduction information for young people that we produced in partnership with the Warwickshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team.
Young people’s endorsement is reflected in the high volume of My Space hits received on the Hybrid Arts Young Agents page.
www.myspace.com/indestructiblemusicclub
The Social Reality Project
A series of music videos on the theme of staying safe and healthy – written, performed and produced by three of Hybrid Arts’ peer mentors. Commissioned by Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Drug and Alcohol Team and Warwickshire Primary Health Care Trust.
Sad Drugs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LS4DUz7Qzs&feature=related&pos=0
One Way Path
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEv_CaO5nlA&feature=channel_page
Only 14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AaWjufzXas&feature=channel_page
Jermaine and Gary
Film about gun crime produced by young people from Campion School in Leamington Spa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3lkGXsXfIs&feature=channel_page
What other people say about us
Jim Graham
Chief Executive
Warwickshire County Council
“Hybrid Arts meet many shared aims in offering opportunities to learn and gain confidence by engaging young people in art and music. Whilst these opportunities are available to a wide range of young people, we are particularly supportive of the fact that Hybrid Arts has very productively engaged some challenging young people who have undoubtedly been diverted from anti-social behaviour through their art and music activities.”
Ursula Russell MBE DL
“Hybrid Arts not only motivates young people through creative technologies, but also prepares them for the working world, an outcome that employers are demanding and not always getting from students leaving education.”
Chris Elliott
Chief Executive
Warwick District Council
“The work that Hybrid Arts is doing and has been doing, with this Council’s support, over a number of years in terms of developing the local base for the creative sector and enabling access for youth training in the process is widely acknowledged as being exceptionally innovative.”
Becta Case Study: Hybrid Arts using technology to engage the disengaged 2006
“The centre staff are all practising artists in their own right and their approach to life is less about conventions and more about realising potential and working outside of formal models. They bring this specific philosophy to their creative practice as learning facilitators and technology is used as a conduit to creative activity.”
Mark Gore
Head of Service – Education Partnerships and School Development
Warwickshire County Council
“I have been hugely impressed with the work Hybrid Arts has done with some challenging young people. In particular I have been impressed by the way in which they have achieved high standards from the young people by having high expectations of them and never compromising the quality of what you offer and what you expect. This unique combination of empathy with young people, the rigour of their approach and the creativity inherent in the organisation ensures Hybrid Arts’ success.”
Anna Kershaw
CAMHS LAC Social Worker
Warwick District Children’s Assessment Team
“I am hugely impressed with the support that Hybrid Arts has provided for A, a young person with whom I work. The staff at Hybrid have gone out of their way to accommodate and work with the emotional difficulties that this A brought with her. They have worked hard to become trusted people in the A’s life and they provided A with emotional and practical support when she needed it. They also worked hard to improve A’s self esteem. I believe that without this consistent, non-judgemental and proactive response from Hybrid Arts, A may not be in the position that she is in now where she is able to access further education. I hope that Hybrid Arts will continue to grow and be able to provide more vulnerable young people with the creative support that A has received. Thank you Hybrid Arts”.
Philip Oliver, CEO, Blitz Games
“Hybrid Arts is all about an invaluable outlet for creative expression, helping to support young people by bringing out their creative personalities. Often, these are people who have failed in mainstream education.”
“One thing I have seen when visiting schools is that it was often the creative ones who are not very good at sitting down and doing the maths lessons and everything; but that’s because they’re not the sheep, they’re the people who want to express themselves.”
“The fresh creative talent that this scheme aims to seek out doesn’t come from the sheep who just sit at the classroom table. Hybrid Arts is all about picking up these people and giving them the tools and support they need.”
Lorna Ferguson, Joint Commissioning Manager (Alcohol)
“Work with Hybrid has given young people purpose, has for many given them support and allowed them to use mediums of communication not normally on offer to them. In turn this has enabled bored and often frustrated youngsters to begin to shape up, to shed their frustration with adults, the system etc and develop trust and with this a sense of their own worth.”
Peter Hunter, Warwick Area Manager, WCC
“You have a great reputation for the work that you do with young people in the fields of the arts, and in particular, music.”
Phil Stock, Central Warwickshire 14 – 19 Consortium Co-ordinator
“My visits to Hybrid Arts impressed me with both the quality of the relationships that have been developed between students and staff and the high quality of both the hardware and software that is made available to students.”
Steve Stewart, Executive Director, Connexions Coventry & Warwickshire
“Hybrid Arts have a profound effect on the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people and improve their self-confidence. They contribute to improve community cohesion, reducing offending behaviour and increasing achievement and retention.”
Penny Vigers, Warwickshire College
“The students here thought the sessions were absolutely fantastic – they all enjoyed them hugely and got a lot from the sessions in terms of confidence, fun and group building. Please thank the trainer and the peer mentors for giving the students such a great experience.”
Joe Eden, E2E Training Co-ordinator, South Warwickshire Training
“Hybrid Arts offers excellent support to individual learners as well as enabling them to utilise superb facilities. One noticeable benefit has been an increase of confidence in learners who often lack self assurance.”
Lynne Upton, 14 – 19 Inspector, WCC
“I have always been impressed with Hybrid Arts’ total commitment to engage young people by offering opportunities to work with the highest quality resources which match or exceed industry standard. Their approach to working with young people is always based on developing their personal skills as well as a love of music and creativity.”
Cllr C J Saint, Economic Development Portfolio Holder – WCC
“Hybrid Arts have a unique vision…working with young people, engagement with the County Education Service and the promotion of key planks within the Every Child Matters framework press all the right buttons.”
Cathryn Ravenhall, Community Arts Officer, WCC
“Hybrid Arts has a good record of working with the harder to reach and engage young people who have often dropped out of mainstream education and training, and have successfully supported and positively nurtured these young people’s self esteem and talents.”
Nick Wilson, Senior Business Development Advisor, Cov & Warks CDA
“I believe their use of professional artists, established multimedia and software companies has always added credibility to their delivery and training techniques which facilitates real change in the young people.”
Jim Graham, Chief Executive, WCC
“We are particularly supportive of the fact that Hybrid Arts has very productively engaged some challenging young people who have undoubtedly been diverted from anti-social behaviour through their art and music activities.”
Rachael Stewart, Education and Lifelong Learning Manager, LSC
“I have never ceased to be amazed by the feelings of self-worth that many young people have developed through being on one of the programmes on offer.”
Heather Walton, Operations Manager, Youth Offending Team
“Hybrid Arts has done fabulous work with some very challenging young people but makes art and music available to young.people ‘across the board’.”
Sam Hatton-Brown, Video Editor, Codemasters
“I do believe that Hybrid Arts go one step further. In addition to offering training in tools that are currently used in the creative industries, I also notice an emphasis on universal life and social skills. This seems due to the genuine care and passion that goes into Hybrid projects.”
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“Part of these developments – the so-called ‘hybrid’ arts, formed by interaction between cultures – is extremely exciting. ‘Hybrid arts’ are a distinctive contemporary voice that has come from the equal alliance of different cultural perspectives. The forms they create are quintessentially British, emerging from a healthy and at times passionate friction rather than from a passive fusion.” ACE