Active Citizens

Active Citizens Launch

2012-02-02T04:58:00.000-08:00

We recently held a launch for our Active Citizens project, we invited local partnership organisations to join us to discuss their involvement.

It was a great opportunity to discuss how we might work with other local organisations, including the Totterdown Residents Environmental and Social Action Group (TRESA), UWE, some student froms UWE's SIFE team, the Square Food Foundation, Windmill Hill Community Orchard, Bristol City Council, Somerset Terrace Action Group (STAG) and others.

We discussed our community asset map where we will be able to have local organisations represented on an interactive map on Windmill Hill City Farm's website, our Playground Media Project, the opportunity to have an fruit map and how other organisations might be involved.

It was a fantastic evening and everyone who participated brought
Here are some pictures of the event with various people from the organisations who joined in the discussion.

For the event we had some lovely soup and bread and cheese and pickle, the pickles used produce grown at the farm.

Watch this space for updates about the fruit map, the community asset map and other projects...

Playground Media

2012-01-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

As part of Active Citizens, we have a new youth project called Playground Media. The project aims to teach young people aged 8-14 new skills in multimedia such as photography, graphic design and digital music editing. We have a studio where structured activities take place, which are lead by our tutors.

The first set of workshops were around graphic design. This is how the workshops went, as well as some pictures:

The aim in the graphic design workshops was to learn new skills around graphic design, develop team working skills and more specifically to create a logo. Each of the young people contributed different things to the group and this was encouraged throughout the process.

The group discussed with the tutors what they knew about design, what they thought design was and they were asked to give an examples of design and branding that they could think of. They explored everything they knew about design and the tutors guided them to think about design in a useful way.

Tutors then gave them examples and made them aware of different designs, talked about common themes and how good designs are simple and memorable.

The group were given homework to think about what design means to them and what is important to them. They were asked what they want their design and logo to be, for example, music, film, tv, fashion, issues. They were encouraged to think about these things when they were sketching out designs.

During the next session the group went through each of the designs and ideas, they discussed their thought processes and why they chose certain imagery.

The next session was used to develop ideas, create new sketches and take the design forward.
They also began to use graphic design software to draft some ideas and play around with colour. Lewis guided the group and gave them tips on how to use the software and create graphics. In the end the group designed and created their own logo for the Playground Media project, which encapsulates their own style, what they are interested in and skills they hope to learn during the project duration.

Here are some photos of our young people learning how to draw, design and make up a logo using a combination of sketches, line drawings and graphic design software.

An initial sketch for the whole logo created at home without the help of tutors:

Drafting some ideas with Lewis, our graphic design tutor:

Discussing the important things to consider when sketching out ideas:

Sketching out letters to use:

Laying out images and symbols to use, Lewis, the tutor gave some stencils to use as part of the logo design

Another draft idea:

Some sketches from the first week's session:

This is the final logo that has been produced:

We are on the lookout for new volunteers with skills in these areas so if that sounds like you please email diego.alcala@windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk

Welcome to Active Citizens

2012-01-12T02:39:00.000-08:00

About the project

The purpose of the project is to use the internet to help people to connect with local issues and each other; to take action to improve their lives and enhance their community.

It is split into three main sections.

The first element is to map local community facilities, services and natural resources and groups of people who are already ‘active’ in their communities in some way (eg local residents group). This online map will help to build active citizenship and will strengthen community networks.

The next element of the project is to use digital media to help people to become active citizens. Most of the ideas for ‘social action’ will come from people themselves. To get things started the project will initiate two:

The first will produce an online urban fruit map identifying readily accessible fruit trees in public spaces in order to harvest this free, but neglected resource to produce jams and pickles. Using a local, natural asset to create a social enterprise will provide both an income to sustain the activity, and equip participants with greater skills.

The second element involves establishing a digital media studio where young people can develop life, citizenship and work skills offering activities that are highly desirable to them. This will promote their own sense of worth and identity, reflect what they value and give them a greater voice to express and act on their concerns.

The final element of the project will develop of an online toolkit that will help similar organisations to replicate the idea in their own context.