Every Tuesday evening in June, artists and makers we work with and collaborate have worked with the young people visiting YMCA through the YMCA Go project.

Below is the YMCA team and young people thought about the sessions. Thank you!

“Brilliant Bamboo have held four workshops with the young people visiting North Staffordshire’s YMCA, within which there have been opportunities to create hope tiles, giant bamboo flags, murals and festival domes. It has been an incredibly immersive experience, with educational points about bamboo’s properties and advantages being included in each session and lending the young people a sense of mindfulness around sustainability and the environment. It has also been enlightening regarding art, as each session encouraged its participants to get ‘stuck in’ and create new, 3D art pieces by thinking outside of the box and following their creative initiatives within spaces that are hand-crafted to allow room to breathe, snack, brainstorm and chat.

Feedback from the young people have included comments on how much they have learned about the properties of bamboo that they have never learned before, its usefulness, and the fun, laid-back nature of the workshops – hosted by a selection of personable, artistic staff who encouraged creativity at every turn and brought incredible, inspirational energy to each week. These young people have taken away much more than just memories from these workshops: they have accessed a new side of their creative selves, increased their awareness surrounding the environment, and have come away with a new air of confidence regarding their approach to creating art.”

Artists’: Monica Cru-Hall, Simmi Sandhu, Francesca Wheeler and Rob Fenton lead the sessions. Supported by Project Manager Sally Malkin and director, Gemma Thomas.

With thanks to the YMCA teams, and particularly Grace O’Donovan. And, thanks to Spode Museum for allowing out of hours access to the museum, special mention to Michael and Simon.