Connecting Our Communities?

After all the protesting, petitioning and even trying to work with the council to find solutions, Summer 2017 saw the implementation of connecting communities phase 2 on the youth service, the council closed its youth clubs and ceased providing an open access youth service.  This is the end of an era and I couldn't just let it be forgotten without acknowledging the valuable work the service and the city's youth workers have done over the years for Coventry's young people and for me personally.

As a young person I never went to youth club, I was too busy vandalising stuff and getting into mischief. The council decided to crack down on graffiti, it was a matter of time till the police were at the door and I was getting prosecuted for being a public nuisance.

After being prosecuted and before I had set up Bring Colour, I didn't really have any direction and was a bit lost. One day I floated into Yardley St youth club in Hillfields and met a youth worker called Nina Mankoo. Nina must of seen something in me as she gave me my first opportunity to deliver a graffiti workshop with the young people at her centre. This was where my journey with the youth service started.

Its been over twelve years since that first session. When I started I didn't really know what goes on at a youth club, what a youth worker did or what youth work even was.


Over the years I've worked at a lot of different centres and seen a lot a different approaches to youth work. I've grown up as an artist with the youth service, I've learnt a lot from youth workers and young people and I've seen first hand what youth work is all about. Youth Club isn't just about playing pool and table tennis, youth clubs provide a safe space for young people, a place where they can learn new skills and build confidence. Youth workers build trusted relationships and through their work deal with health and social issues that effect young people. Youth work is important.

In recent times of austerity, central government cut the amount of money for local councils. Coventry Councils answer to these cuts was called "Connecting Communities" where they proposed to end universal provision in 16 locations across the city. 

The councils proposals went out to public consultation. Young people wanted to respond and youth workers had their hands tied so I offered my support to the youth forum in their quest to save the service.

The youth forum included young people from different youth clubs working together collectively. Bailey set up a petition, Zara composed a letter to the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, and the youth forum organised a protest against the councils proposed cuts.

As part of the consultation the council had asked for organisations to express an interest in delivering youth services in the city. I was asked by the young people at Peoples Place in Stoke Aldermoor to try and save their centre, so whilst supporting the youth forum in trying to save the whole service, I began working on a viable solution to save the one centre, Peoples Place.
The council decided to go ahead with the proposed cuts and I submitted a business case to keep Peoples Place open. Sadly it wasn't what the council were after and it got turned down.

So its the end of summer 2017 and its also the end of 16 youth clubs and the universal youth service.

I cant help but feel sad at the dismantling of something that has helped and supported so many young people and has been such a crucial part of my development as an artist and person. A massive thank you to Nina, Dave, Tracey, Tammy, Sonia, Karen, all of the workers and young people that have played a part in making the youth service something special. 

We'll have to wait and see what effect these cuts will have and hope for the best.
At least no one can say we didn't put up a fight!


John Mckeown

Coventry Canvas

We were contacted by a local DJ who wanted us to paint a Canvas for his house. We asked him what sort of thing he was after and he was very vague, "Something Cov" and colour wise "Any", the only sure thing was the size it had to be. So we got in the studio and had a stab in the dark with a canvas of the Coventry skyline with a bunch of colours and texture. 

Luckily we hit the nail right on the head and he loved it! We have another canvas in the pipeline only this time he know's what he wants and we've been given a bit more direction.

If you have an enquiry or would like to discuss the design solutions that we can offer you, then please get in touch.

Pea Pod

Taylor Johns House got in touch with Bring Colour and asked us to deliver a quick street art workshop at The Pod.

Taylor Johns and The Pea Pod Collective were hosting an arts festival at the pod, we went along and worked with two groups in quick-fire 15 min sessions.
Everyone got the chance to make their own individual pieces using a variety of mixed media that they could keep.

The workshops we offer are flexible, creative, imaginative and fun. 

If you have an enquiry or would like to book a workshop please get in touch.

FLASH!

Mr Rax form the Kasbah asked Bring Colour to pop down to the club and create a couple of backdrops for Tricky Discos 1st birthday.

To celebrate the 1st birthday of tricky disco, the Kasbah crew booked headline act & hip hop legend Grandmaster Flash to perform. Bring Colour were asked to produce two graffiti/urban backdrops for either side of the DJ box, so we went down to the club & got busy.

If you are interested in a Bring Colour custom backdrop, have an enquiry or would like to discuss the design solutions that we can offer you, then please get in touch.

Circus Mural

Bring Colour were recommended to a lady in Kent who was searching for something to decorate the wall of her sons room but couldn't find exactly what she wanted. The vinyl stickers she had looked at were just too babyish.

When we launched our January Sale on children's murals, she couldn't resist and snapped us up on our offer. We were asked to use elements from their Joules circus Duvet & cushion to decorate a wall in their sons bedroom. 

We popped down to Kent yesterday, got creative, painted a circus themed wall, personalised it with a little 'W' for Will & continued the theme nicely on to the ceiling with a few matching stars.

If you are interested in our January Sale, have an enquiry or would like to discuss the design solutions that we can offer you, then please get in touch.   

Break City Limits

Dtain from Flip The Script Promotions got in touch with Bring Colour to create a backdrop for their new hip hop night, "Break City Limits".  They wanted a big, bold, graffiti style backdrop to brighten up the West Indian Centre, ready for the b-boys, b-girls, MC's & DJ's to battle it out.

Break City Limits 2 is in the pipelines, so if you missed out on number 1, dust off those shell toes, polish up that name belt buckle, get your Kangol hat out of the loft and get practicing your b-boy stance!

Our Choice BBQ

The Groundwork gang have been running a youth project called 'Our Choice' for three years, working with young people aged 11-19 in the Tile Hill, Canley, Willenhall, Stoke Aldermoor, Hillfields & Foleshill areas of Coventry.

The 'Our Choice' project gave young people the change to get involved in their neighbourhood and get their voices heard on what they wanted to see happening in their neighbourhood.

Lou from Groundwork got in touch with Bring Colour, 'Our Choice' were having a summer BBQ for the young people at Coombe Abbey and wanted Bring Colour to come along and facilitate a workshop. The aim of the workshop was for the young people to create a piece of art, through which they could evaluate the 'our choice' project.