The idea
Story Tents is a community arts project which will visit various settings across Walsall. The project aims to support family learning, promoting literacy, reading and creative writing for children and young people; supporting school readiness skills and enhancing wellbeing by providing opportunities for self-expression, creative engagement and free play.
3 x canvas tents will be decorated based on different story themes and settings; 1 by a professional artists & 2 by emerging young artists from Walsall who will receive their first paid commission as part of the project. Each tent will have a set of themed props, books and a soundscape created by another young creative commission which will play inside to set the scene. RicNic will visit 8 community spaces across Walsall, with these tents, delivering workshops that explore story making through reading, imaginative play, puppetry. Children will be able to add their ideas to our giant story book &decorate a community canvas tent.
What we'll deliver
- Deliver 16 x free creative workshops at 8 community settings in Walsall
- Engage with 500 young people across these workshops in creative and confidence building activities
- Collate all the story ideas generated in the workshops into a giant story book, which will inspire further work
- Provide each family with a goody bag to continue their creative learning at home
Why it's a great idea
'Story Tents' will
* provide a safe space for children and families to enjoy being creative, have confidence in their ideas and see those ideas shared with others through our Giant Story Book.
* offer free activities in holidays and at weekends for local families to attend
* take place at venues across the borough, ensuring that no one has to travel far to access the project
* be fully inclusive and open to all ages and abilities
* ensure that every participant has a goody bag to take home
* offer an opportunity to get involved in creative activity without having to commit to regular classes
With 44% of Walsall's young people living in poverty (Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report 2024 ) and without regular access to activities which can support their key skills development, we are working to provide high quality, free arts activities across the area to boost confidence and aspiration levels. These workshops will offer a fun, relaxed and inclusive space to try new things.
Steps to get it done
- 3 x Young Artist Commissions will be recruited for from young adults in Walsall to create tent designs and soundscapes.
- A programme of 16 workshops will be scheduled, working with our community partners across the Borough.
- Workshops delivered in different community settings totalling 38 hours delivery
- A giant story book will be compiled throughout the project bringing communities' ideas together
- Long-term these stories will inspire a community theatre piece written by a local artist
'Story Tents' has been developed from activities and consultations with over 300 individuals in Walsall in pilot workshops during 2024. During these public sessions, we have been able to talk to parents, teachers and families about our wider project plans to understand the gaps in local provision. The key findings from these events were that the tents were appealing to a wide age range and would therefore be encouraging as a way for a child to access a literacy learning task. Speaking with teachers of primary and secondary age children, we found that there is a large gap in reading standards locally and limited resources to support improvements, particularly for ages 11+. Studies show that 78% of children with a low reading age struggle to work independently, however the National Centre for Family Learning demonstrates that participating in family learning activities at any age can improve a child's wellbeing, address attainment gaps and boost social mobility.
