Working with the Bowes Museum to provide more opportunities for learners

Recently, the Bowes Museum worked with Novus learners and colleagues at HMP Deerbolt on their new project 'Unheard Voices'. The collaborative project brought together writing practitioners and learners to creatively engage with the artwork in the musuem's current exhibition, 'Kith and Kinship: Cornish and Lowry'.

Unheard Voices 

Through a combination of discussions, activities, creative writing, and visual literacy exercises, the project aimed to deepen learner's understanding and connection to the exhibition whilst enhancing their creative writing skills.

The project empowered learners to produce unique interpretations of the exhibition, offering fresh perspectives for peers, families, tutors and general visitors. The project was flexible and adaptive allowing learners to share their experiences and inputs as well as actively engaging in the project. The result of this collaborative process was a creative Zine, which serves as an alternative interpretative voice for the exhibition. Printed copies of the Zine will be available to the public at the Bowes Museum. 

Promoting an inclusive environment through creative enrichment

At Novus, we are dedicated to providing learners with creative enrichment opportunities that extend beyond the traditional academic provision that we offer, and meets the aims and objectives from Ofsted in regard to our curriculum offer.

In the Ofsted handbook, one of the objectives is to "promote an inclusive environment that meets the needs of all prisoners, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, relationship status or pregnancy". The Bowes Museum project supported social cohesion and allowed learners to reflect on the diversity of society. The project acted as a bridge between different communities, fostering dialogue, and understanding social cohesion in multi-cultural settings.

By exposing learners to different cultures and communities through projects like this, it allows them to expand on their knowledge, understanding and tolerance of others. Creative enrichment projects also allow learners from different cultures and communities to engage in education in a safe, understanding and welcoming environment, helping them to engage in education and share their stories through a positive outlet. 

The educational value of creative enrichment projects

Creative enrichment is crucial in allowing us to provide a broad curriculum offer, enabling us to enrich learner's experiences and deliver quality opportunities. It also enables us to engage learners in new ways, often those who have a reluctance to education.

Projects like 'Unheard Voices' have a positive impact on a learner's education journey and hold educational value. The project exposed learners to varied worldviews, histories, and cultural practices which promoted empathy and cross-cultural understanding. Through creative writing, learners were also able to improve their reading and writing skills. By embedding core English skills in this project, it's provided learners the opportunity to improve their functional English skills in a creative and engaging way. 

Finding a sense of identity through creative enrichment

Ofsted champions a curriculum that "extends beyond the academic/technical/vocational and provides for prisoner's broader development, enabling them to develop and discover interests and talents". Creative enrichment enables learners to embark on a journey of personal growth and development. Having a creative outlet to channel emotions, experiences and to figure out who you are, is incredibly important to help learners re-discover themselves and help them to develop new hobbies and interests that they may not have thought of before. 

The Bowes Museum project provided learners with a platform to share their opinions and contribute to something which sits within the community; empowering under-represented groups to have a voice, which fosters a sense of pride and ownership.

Learners were also asked to engage in the project through creative writing. Writing is a powerful outlet, enabling learners to reflect and express their feelings, ideas and opinions in a safe environment. By engaging in creative enrichment projects, learners are able to gain new-found confidence in themselves as well as their abilities and gives learners a voice that they otherwise may not have had before. 

Providing learners with the opportunity to take part in projects like this, enables them to make a real difference and to communicate with the general public giving them a sense of purpose and self. 

To learn more about our creative enrichment provision and the benefits projects like this have on a learners rehabilitative journey, take a look at the 2024/2025 creative enrichment strategy.