South Eastern Education & Library Board
Title: Fitness and Food For All
Artform: Film Production and Dance
Organisation: St.Patrick’s High School, Lisburn, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, YMCA, Studio ON
Creative Partners: CYP Artist Nicola Curry, CYP Artist Ben Jones, Nerve Centre Artist Karen Kingham
Participants: 12 for Film and open to 400 for contribution 14-16 Yrs

Synopsis: This Action Zone Project with Creative Youth Partnerships aimed to engage the students in St. Patrick’s High school, Lisburn in an arts project which focused on promoting awareness of and changes in attitudes towards diet and fitness among teenagers. This was achieved through access to a professional dancer and two film makers.

Background: St;Patrick’s High School in Lisburn approached Creative Youth Partnerships in order to initiate a project which would focus on promoting awareness of and changes in attitudes towards diet and fitness among teenagers. Through the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Artist Karen Kingham was engaged to lead this project. CYP Artists Nicola Curry (dance) and Ben Jones (film) were engaged to work with Karen in developing the project.

Artist in Residence: The project began with Nicola Curry working with a core group of children to choreograph a dance routine which would begin to express the young people’s attitudes towards fitness and food. Karen and Ben continued this work and offered guidance and encouragement to the young people to create a film documentary which would capture their ideas in a contemporary way which would appeal to young people. The film could then be disseminated to other children in the school and also to other schools and community groups.

Showcasing: The final edited film will be submitted to the BBC competition BLAST which encourages young film makers. The film has yet to be screened in the school but is scheduled for showcasing in early 2006.