Working collaboratively with Odd Arts to further engage learners at HMP Hewell

At Novus, we are always on the lookout for new and innovative ideas to further engage learners in our education provision.

Over the last 12 months, HMP Hewell have been working collaboratively with Odd Arts and Lyrical artist Nathan Crossan-Smith to deliver a creative lyricism course to learners. 

The workshops used rap, poetry and the spoken-word performance as a vehicle to engage hard to reach learners in education and reading support. 

Engaging learners in education through creative opportunities

The programme covered core poetry/lyrical writing techniques by analysing popular emcee’s flows and piloting lyrical techniques each session, writing original poetry and raps.

These techniques were selected to help learners improve their confidence with writing, literacy, spelling and English literature and language. These key skills are integral and contribute to a learner’s confidence to re-engage in wider education activities within the establishment. 

In the sessions, learners were encouraged to open up emotionally and share their experiences through lyrical writing and in the interactive reflection exercises, which was a big step for all who took part. Learners were able to explore identity and personal qualities through the exercises, reflecting on themselves and growing as individuals. 

The workshops culminated in a group reading where they performed a piece comprising of the group’s reflective bars in rap tracks, as well as some spoken word poetry where one of the learners narrated. 

The group also performed a group character storytelling grime track called ‘The Architect’ where they explored a character who didn’t have any connection to street life, instead being a young man who was grieving his mum and holding on to his vision of being an architect and his creative drive. 

The grime track was a great example of a one-step removed approach, allowing learners to explore a ‘new’ narrative, one which the group chose not to be crime related but to include the kinds of personal struggles which can contribute to unstable home lives as well as centred around how to nurture and kinde/re-kindle your creative energy.
 

Working with former learners to further support their rehabilitation journey

As well as supporting learners in prison at HMP Hewell, Odd Arts have also been supporting two former learners who took part in the workshops and have since been released. 

Since release, both former learners have continued to engage in creative work, and Odd Arts are commissioning them to perform at their charity dinner. They have also been providing some mentoring/support in their own workshop design and set up. 

Working with learners in prison and providing workshops like these is extremely important to engage them in education and help to develop their core skills in literature and reading. However, by providing support and mentorship for former learners, Odd Arts are providing these learners the opportunity to explore creatively and give them opportunities to showcase their work, positively contributing to their successful rehabilitation and nurturing their creative abilities and talents. 

Workshops like these not only give learners the opportunity to engage in education and develop their core skills, it also gives learners the chance to explore their identity and provides a creative outlet for them to share their experiences, helping them to develop personally and become well-rounded individuals. 

To learn more about how we engage learners in education through creative enrichment, take a look at the 2024/25 creative enrichment strategy.