Overview
Project title:
Keepsakes
Project Location:
- HMPS YOI Portland
- HMPS YOI Hindley
- HMPS YOI Thorncross
- HMPS YOI Swinfen Hall
- HMPS YOI Downview
- HMPS YOI Huntercombe
- HMPS YOI Send
Date of Project:
March 06 - March 08
Project Participants:
Participants from the 7 Young Offender Institutes listed above.
Project Funders:
Campaign for Learning
The Indigo Trust
Project Overview:
Keepsakes was a 2 year, national project to engage young parents in Young Offender Institiutes to work with Multistory and Campaign for Learning in the creation of a book and audio CD for their child.
The overarching aim of was to offer the opportunity for young offenders to reflect on their role as parents through creating a lasting keepsake book and audio CD for their child. With support from a designated Basic and Key Skills Tutor from Campaign for Learning, parents also had further support in developing their confidence through ICT, literacy and numeracy.
Multistory worked within young offender institutes with small groups of parents during week long residencies. Each day, participants would choose and work their way through a number of themed areas and create stories, memories, drawings about their experiences, for example:
- A dedicated message
- The first time I saw you
- Family Tree
- My favourite place
- All about me
- All about you
Additionally, other ideas were added as the project progessed and participants from each institute came up with their own ideas.
Further info.
Keepsakes began initially as a pilot project back in 2004 working with 3 Sure Starts in the Black Country to improve the confidence and self esteem of lone parents under 20 years and develop ICT skills using creative technology.
The project proved so successful that Campaign for Learning and The Indigo Trust commissioned Multistory to continue this piece of work and re-scope it as a creative learning delivery model within Young Offender Institutes.
Gallery
Feedback
These are a selection of parents’ quotes when asked if they enjoyed the project:
“I enjoyed the project very much and have created something special to keep always.”
Participant, HMPS YOI Send
“Yes I did, it enabled me to realise that I can still be a supportive parent whilst in jail not only by leaving money but by showing my love and appreciation be developing this book.”
Participant, HMPS YOI Portland
“Yes, it was a fantastic opportunity to create lasting memories for my kids.”
Participant, HMPS YOI Swinfen Hall
“I’m always thinking about my kids; I’m not coming back to jail and this has made me think about what I’m missing why I’m in here.”
Participant, HMPS YOI Swinfen Hall
Partner Statements
“The lads on the Keepsakes project became very enthusiastic as a group and have gone on to start a fathers’ group with a rep on each wing.”
Prison worker, HMYOI Portland
“One of the young dads studied a poem by Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, ‘How do I love thee’. He enjoyed the poem and worked hard translating it line by line into modern English for his child to read in their Keepsake book.”
Project Worker
“The participant wasn’t confident in writing and so one of the tutors had to write out the evaluation form while she dictated. However, when she read a Christina Rossetti poem, she said that it was the story of her life and that the poem “spoke” to her. She rewrote the poem in her own handwriting to include in her book and practiced reading it aloud continually until she could read it almost perfectly for her audio recording.”
Project Worker
“A fantastic project run by knowledgeable and committed people. Goes a long way to helping keep prisoners in contact with their children and families.”
Prison worker, HMYOI Portland
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