As part of a four-year National Heritage Lottery Funded project, The North York Moors National Park Trust have been restoring and creating natural habitat in the North York Moors National Park to support endangered birds such as the Turtle Dove, Yellowhammer, Song Thrush, and Redstart thrive. The project is also engaging with children and young people from a range of backgrounds, allowing them to experience nature and conservation first-hand in the National Park. 

As part of this, ARCADE led weekly creative sessions engaging 16 students aged 11-16 from the Pupil Referral Unit. Drawing on themes of endangerment, flight, and self-worth inspired by the plight of the turtle dove, the group have explored their thoughts, feelings and ideas through lyric writing, rap, music, poetry and film-making. 

 

The Birds on the Edge creative workshops have been facilitated by Stewart Baxter; a musician, composer and photographer, Yssi Wombwell; musician, music producer and facilitator & Steve Arnott; co-founder of the Beats Bus Hull, with regular support from local musician Jim Taylor and Youth Worker, James Koppert. 

As well as weekly creative sessions the young people have spent time at stunning locations across the North York Moors engaging with wildlife, partaking in conservation tasks and capturing footage to create their own music videos. 

 

The artists worked in a trauma informed approach and the sessions were designed to be supportive for young people who may face behavioural & low confidence barriers when it comes to accessing creativity. 

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In July, the group took part in a celebratory private screening, showcasing the work they have created to an invited audience in The McCarthy at The Stephen Joseph Theatre. 

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This project was a continuation of our previous Creative Youth Company Pilot which launched in 2022.

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