Christian Aid Gap Year Stories

Voluntary Action Leeds

VA-L is a brilliant resource for volunteering opportunities in Leeds. I found my position with Leeds Children's Circus through them last year, and I figure they'd be a great starting point for finding the organisations best suited to my current needs.

They've just opened a new volunteering centre in the middle of town, so rather than send an email (which can be a bit informal and a difficult way to communicate a lot of information effectively) I'm going to pay them a visit tomorrow.

Voluntary Action Leeds

Oblong Community Resource

Oblong also host English classes for speakers of foreign languages. I-D-E-A-L. I had a bit of experience doing this in Peru, but it was for young children which is completely different from what I'd imagine formal teaching to be like. We had minimal input from our supervisor and since we were all completely inexperienced our workshops, whilst being helpful for the few people that turned up, were done through guess-work. The opportunity to gain experience in this sort of learning environment in invaluable, I think.

Ideally in 10 years time I want to be teaching English in a developing country. To do this I will most likely have to complete a TEFL course - acceptance on which is based on experience and commitment. Working with Oblong will undoubtedly help me to develop the skills I need to take this further.

Classes only run once a week, and last an hour and a half so it's a small commitment, but hopefully if I'm able to get involved this can lead to other voluntary opportunities and help to build up an impressive portfolio for a career in international development. I've emailed them to register my interest, fingers crossed!

Artist Rooms

Global Xchange Video

Next Volunteering Project

I have applied for Global Xchange. YEYAH.

Apparently I'll be hearing from them in the next 14 days. I have crossed every conceivable part of myself. I want this so bad.

Something that I didn't realise initially is that a big part of the programme involves pre-departure fund-raising of at least £600, something I've never done before. While this concept scares me a little I think, if i get it, fund-raising would make for good FMP work and Viscom has a whole range of experience in this sort of thing, it's be a great opportunity.

Exhibition

As part of A.V.C. and as a follow up to my time spent in Peru, I am planning on curating my own exhibition. It will be held in the college and will showcase photos from my trip (and hopefully those of other volunteers).

I had spoken to Terry before leaving in the summer and was under the impression that I would have the canteen, however further correspondence reveals that the main exhibition space has been double booked (quel suprise, established artist is chosen over a student, shocking concept). So I'm going to have to work around that. Also inconvenient - two volunteers in the other Peru group are studying photography at uni and so spent, I assume, have some awesome photos. I've emailed them both, one hasn't replied and the other is less than enthusiastic about getting involved. So at the minute it looks like I'm relying solely on my own photography and that scares me a little, 'cause I'm not gunna lie to you, I'm no photographer.

But it's not all bad, because I figure that the whole point of the exhibition isn't centred on amazing photography; it's about giving people an insight. Do the photos really need to be glamorous? Surely the whole thing will have more impact if the message is 'look, I'm not a photographer, but you need to see this..'? I think it could work.

And I've spoken to Terry again, I'm working around the planned exhibition in the canteen by putting up two temporary screens. That provides me with 8 hangable sides, and I can always exhibit in the Viscom corridor simultaneously with signage directing people up from the canteen. (I have considered using the VC corridor as my primary space but it just doesn't get enough attention. How am I meant to raise awareness of development issues if nobody sees it?)

Bleurgh. Enough word vomit.

Artist Rooms: Damien Hirst

A video published on the Tate website talking about recurring themes in Hirst's work.

British Council

I'm getting all caught up in researching development issues. That thing is happening where you discover a load of sources all at once and your brain can't take them all in properly.

The British Council:-

Connecting the UK to the world and the world to the UK, the British Council is the UK's international cultural relations body.

In an inter-dependent, turbulent world we believe that creating opportunities for people to understand each other better, work together more and learn from one another is crucial to building secure, more prosperous and sustainable futures for us all.

I can only assume that this will be an invaluable resource for my ongoing interest in international development issues.

Global Xchange

A volunteering organisation that operates on an international exchange basis. A group of volunteers comprised of 18-25 year olds form the UK and a partnering developing country spend 3 months helping local communities in England and 3 months volunteering overseas.

They are currently accepting applications for Sept 2011 and this is something that I am definitely interested in applying for. From what I gather there is a lot of fundraising involved before the projects begin, which would fit in perfectly with my FMP. I'm already getting carried away with the idea, there's a video on the home page that almost made me cry because I can relate so well to what the volunteers are saying. I hate that I'm stuck here in a manufactured education system when all I really want to do is help communities that need it most. What I find particularly mind blowing about this program is that, despite the evident culture differences, people from third world countries are willing to volunteer their time to fly half way across the world to help a first world country. I can't really articulate how utterly incredible I think this is, I could post about it all day. I need to dabble in a bit more research to make sure I fully understand the aims of the project before submitting my application.

You can visit the website here.

I have too much to write about.

I don't know where to start.

I don't feel as though I can write about my time in Peru on here. At least not in the conventional story telling sense. I can't sit and write up everything that happened and post a million pictures all with their own anecdotes. Not because I don't want to share my experiences, but because I don't feel that anyone will really benefit from it. My experiences will be developed throughout my AVC and PPD modules in much more productive ways. I don't want to stress myself out trying to frantically recall everything I did, through a series of extensive evaluations, research projects and my own exhibition I will hopefully not only tell my story, but help to inspire others to act upon the ever increasing development issues that threaten third world countries.

First post since Peru, I am in trouble.

I am so very behind. I'm in denial that I even have to start doing work and the minimal motivation that existed before I went definitely does not reside in me any more; I will not do any work.

I have such an overwhelming amount to write about that it almost seems pointless starting. I thought I'd start small, with a brief overview of my current situation:

I have spent the last 2 and 1/2 months volunteering in Peru. Consequently, I have missed half of the first term of my final year. I have a dissertation to write. I have a sizeable amount of work to catch up on. And I have no interest in any of it. Brilliant.

Baby steps, I logged into my blog for the first time since May. Maybe tomorrow I'll write something worth reading.

Hippo Shoot

Make shift photo shoot in the seminar room - they were really working it in front of the camera.

Hippo Brief - Idea

Interactive 'hippo trail' through Armley.

Nothing hung on the walls, visitors each get a screen printed map of Armley with highlighted locations on it and hippo-related explanations for why the landscape is the way it is: eg. Viaduct bridge - used to be one solid wall, the arches you see are the result of a high-speed attack from giant hippos.

• Interactive piece that provokes a response from the community - I can turn the negative aspects of Armley (such as the boarded up buildings etc.) into more light-hearted things
• Changes the way people react to the space around them
• Maps would be simple to produce yet have high impact
• Problems - how do I encourage people to actually do it? Have the majority of locations close to Town St? People might discard them as rubbish or even flyers? Is the idea childish?

Hippo Brief - Artist Research

Just found out from Jane that one of the artists (not sure which one) is producing Grayson Perry style pots. Lovely.

Hippo Brief - Research

Urban Interventions: Personal Projects In Public Spaces

Incredible book - definitely on my wish list! Just filled with genius idea after genius idea.

Manipulation of existing signage and imagery, creating a new spin on taken-for-granted visuals.

Personifying the marks left by humans in a given space - turning potentially detrimental objects into relatable characters.

Incorporating light - the sun's changing position throughout the day creates a unique experiene for every viewer.

Playing upon society's instinct to rebel - covering boarded up windows and doors with brick-like paper to entice graffiti, then peeling it of and using the sheets in a commercial art exhibition.

Chaining objects to their surroundings, taking things out of context.

Creating a new narrative for ordinary and mundane surroundings.

Braille Graffiti! Cartering for otherwise excluded members of society.

Hippo Brief - Research

Off Limits - 40 Artangel Projects

Artangel is a London based organisation that offers artists the chance to realise dreams of mind-boggling public art.

Each new project evolves from a singular commissioning process, born from an open-ended conversation with an artist offered the opportunity to imagine something extraordinary. Artangel’s work is powered by the belief that artists are capable of creating visionary works which impact upon the way we view our world, our times and ourselves in unusual and enduring ways.

The majority of work in this book, whilst being incredible, is way too aspirational for this project, I feel. Having said that they are all examples of how to alter perception of any given space, through the use of foreign and found objects and human interaction. It would be much easier to scale down an overly optimistic idea than to try and build up an idea with limited potential.

Stephan Balkenhol: Figure on a Buoy/Head of a Man

Absolutely love this piece. It tackles the issue of meaninglessness within art and the public's inability to cope with out justification and reason. Through placing a figure on a floating buoy in the Thames Balkenhol managed to cause unparalleled levels of controversy and confusion as police and rescue services received a two week long surge of emergency calls from concerned onlookers wanting to help the man. This is a perfect example of how a minimal change can turn the atmosphere of given environment completely on its head.

Rachel Whiteread: House

I've always been fascinated with this. I can't really explain it, I just think it's amazing. Removing things from the landscape and leaving ghost in its place. Lovely.

This was just a page I photographed because I liked the idea of using the geography of a place to engage the audience. Creating your own narrative of a particular area through a journey on a map.

Hippo Brief - Idea

Through emailing Jane I have now learnt that these pieces are not going in the street as I had first assumed, but in shop fronts/windows. She is also trying to acquire 2 or 3 empty shops for more space - but that sort of crushes my original idea, which did in fact require pavement...

So back to the drawing board, and this is my next suggestion:

Since I was forced to discard the small screen printing project due to lack of time why don't I try and incorporate printing into this?

Manipulate images of the industrial landscape to include hippos.

• A set of large CMYK screen prints to be hung on a wall/in a window, along with single colour printed postcards for visitors to take away
• Providing something people can take away creates more interest - people ask questions, remember things better, get more involved.
• Problems - potential to look cheap/unprofessional

Armley Site Visit

So today I took a walk into Armley centre to have a gander at Town Street, the proposed location of the finished hippo commissions. I don't really know how to describe this in a diplomatic way.. but I was genuinely scared.

The area is pretty run-down, a lot of the shops and pubs are boarded up and the people seem quite aggressive - I know it's wrong to generalise a whole community like that but, like I said, I was genuinely scared. I sat down on a bench for 5 minutes tops, and in that short time I was harassed by two homeless people, kicked in the shins by the small child of what can only be described as some sort of eastern-European mafia henchman, and 4 separate suspect characters came and scrabbled through all 3 phone booths in the hope of a forgotten coin.

I took some pictures but they're not very good - I didn't want to attract attention to myself through persistent photo taking; I didn't want strangers to think I was taking candid photos of them and subsequently kill me, and I also didn't want to seem like a tourist (or worse, an art student) and give people an excuse to mug me. Discretion, apparently, does not warrant the most helpful of photographs..

Two items of note amongst this incredibly monochromatic landscape were the picturesque little library building at the very top of the street, and also a little mural of a compass containing map of Armley set in concrete on the ground at about the half way point.

Something that became very evident as I scaled the pavements, was the fact that there is little to no excess floor space.. Since I have been toying with the idea of creating a sculptural piece, as opposed to something for a window or wall, I sense this will be problematic. I've emailed Jane with a few questions and hopefully she'll clear things up. If I am going to produce a piece to stand alone in the street there is also the small matter of bolting it down so that it doesn't get stolen, because believe me, it WILL be stolen.

Hippo Brief - Possible Idea

Hippo emerging from pavement - in the same way they pop the tops of their heads out of water.

• references the discovery of the hippo under the town
• manipulates existing environment whilst being flexible with exact location
• production problems? - materials, glass vs. perspex (safety issues and dexterity), how to make it look professional, weighting it down (if it's outside, damage/theft?)