Collage Voices Autumn Newsletter

Dear Friends, Associates and Supporters, 

Welcome to the first termly Collage Voices newsletter!  We thought it was time we shouted a little louder about all we do, so that you can see how your support enables us to deliver our programming to the children and young people, families, emerging artists and communities we serve. 

Have a look at what we did last year! 

September 2023 - July 2024 

Collage Voices 

We returned for our 5th year of Saturday Voices offering nine different creative classes for age groups from 8yrs - 29yrs. This year we added 16-19 drama and advanced singing/ songwriting classes. Collage Voices | performing arts 

September 2023 - June 2024 

Voices for the Future 

Voices for the Future was a two year programme funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund that aimed to embed creative and anti-racist practice in six Haringey primary schools. Led by Alexandra Primary School, Collage Arts and Haringey Creates, the additional five primary schools that participated were: Rokesly Junior School, Earlsmead Primary, Lancasterian Primary, The Willow Primary and West Green Primary schools. 

Voices for the Future explored ways in which artists and teachers can work together to develop an anti-racist led, arts-based approach to teaching and learning. It explored how this could help address the gap in global majority children’s attainment in Haringey and improve oracy. The programme aimed, aiming to provide teachers with the skills and confidence to deliver inclusive arts-based learning across the curriculum.  You can read more about the project here:  

October 2023 

Windrush Wonder Stories 

Windrush Wonder stories was a new intergenerational project focused on capturing inspiring true-life histories, experiences and journeys. The resulting materials have been compiled into 4 illustrated children's books. A set of all four books was delivered to every primary school in the borough. Through this project, we hoped to celebrate the immense contribution that the Caribbean communities have made to UK society. 

Community day 

We ran a community day for the new build across the road from us having been commissioned by the Berkeley group to celebrate the opening of their new water feature. We ran all day art workshops, circus workshops and a live stage featuring music and Collage Voices singers performing live. Origami workshops resulted in the launch of a thousand paper ships on the new feature.  

Black History Month 

The first instalment of all day afrobeats workshops at Harris Academy Primary in Tottenham where every pupil in the school from Reception to Year 6, and their support staff and teachers danced their heart outs.  

Haringey Youth Festival 

Working with Jacksons Lane and Haringey Shed, we had a day of celebration showcasing the amazing creative work of the young people of Haringey and beyond.  

November 2023 

Haringey Feast 

Collage Voices worked with Alexandra Primary school to create their own songs and music videos as part of Haringey Feast, a borough-wide community celebration culminating in together in the East Court at Alexandra Palace over a weekend for a spectacular free celebration of Haringey’s creativity through music, performance, art, and food. 

December 2023 

Collage Voices 

Collage Voices sharings and performances with a singer showcase in the Karamel club.  

Voices online auction 

We launched our first online auction with some stunning lots donated by the creative industries and our supporters.  

Xmas Revolution 

We held our regular fundraiser where stars from stage and screen came to our café-music venue to take part in the best cabaret London has to offer. Joined by some students from Collage Voices.  

Feb 2024 

The second instalment this academic year of dance sessions exploring the theme ‘Proud to be Me’ with Harris Academy Primary. 

March 2024 

The World Within our Heads.  

This anthology is a collection of fabulous poems written by the talented young writers of Collage Voices Creative Writing group.  This exciting publication takes you on a journey through lands both magical and mundane. The World Within Our Heads by collagevoices - Issuu 

Awesome Food Festival 

Our youth board led initiative saw its second year where all the students and parents come together with a dish from their culture to share and celebrate student performances. 

May 2024 

VftF Grand Performance 

Our Voices for the Future programme participant schools came together for an amazing day of exhibition, rehearsals and performances at Alexandra Palace’s main 900-seater theatre.   

June 2024 

Community day 

We returned to deliver another community day for the Berkeley group with a larger stage for our singers to showcase themselves alongside children's theatre, circus workshops and walkabout artists.  

July 2024 

Voices Drama Showcase 

Following an end of year sharing from all our classes, our advanced drama groups performed a showcase of monologues and scenes to a packed house including casting agents. We look forward to continuing to support them on their exciting journey.  

Powering Up 

Teaming up with Dr Guddi Singh and Wham (Wellbeing and Health Action Movement)  WHAM Updated (whamproject.co.uk), we delivered a week of drama interventions connecting young people from Dunraven school and 15 medical clinicians from across the country to explore what health looks and feels like for young people.  

August 2024 

Summer Stories summer camp 3 

For the third year, we collaborated withJacksons Lane to deliver a week of circus workshops to young people.  

All year 

Theatre trips 

Thanks to our network of creatives, we seek lots of theatre going opportunities for our young people that are either free or very low cost.  We are all so grateful for these opportunities.  Last year we managed to take groups to: 

King Lear, at the Almeida Theatre 

Othello, at The Globe 

Frozen at Theatre Royal Drury Lane 

Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre 

Death of England, at Soho Place 

The Comeuppance at the Almeida Theatre 

Mandella at the Young Vic 

Further than the furthest thing at The Young Vic 

The Homecoming at The Young Vic 

Shifters at The Bush Theatre 

Jack Petchey Achievement Awards 

We are proud to run the Jack Petchey Achievement Awards at Collage Voices to celebrate the courage, talent and all-round awesomeness of our young people.   

Rio 

Aaliyah 

Aliyah 

Ava  

Eliza  

And our Leader award winner Tony Mahama 

Upcoming 

We are starting our 6th year of Saturday classes on 14th September 2024.  If you know someone who like to give one of our classes a go, get in touch here. 

Our next Revolution fundraiser packed full of stars is on Sunday 15th September.  We would love you to join us.  Tickets are just £20 each from here.  These nights are food for the soul, not to be missed 

We very much look forward to all the creative journeys the next year will offer.   

Celebrating Voices for the Future: A Two-Year Journey of Creativity and Inclusion

At Collage Arts, our mission is to foster creativity and inclusivity in the educational landscape. One of our most ambitious and rewarding initiatives, Voices for the Future, recently culminated in a grand finale that showcased the incredible talent and hard work of students and teachers from six primary schools in Haringey. This event marked the end of a two-year project that aimed to embed creativity and anti-racist practices in education through extensive teacher development and collaborative efforts.

About Voices for the Future

Voices for the Future was conceived as a two-year project dedicated to transforming educational practices in six primary schools in Haringey: Alexandra Primary School, Rokesly Junior School, Earlsmead Primary School, Lancasterian Primary School, The Willow Primary School, and West Green Primary School. This initiative was led by Alexandra Primary School, Collage Arts, and Haringey Creates, and supported by an additional network of schools and local organizations.

The project focused on exploring how artists and teachers can collaborate to create an arts-based, anti-racist approach to teaching and learning. Our goal was to bridge the attainment gap for children in Haringey by equipping teachers with the skills and confidence needed to deliver inclusive, creative education across the curriculum.

Our Approach

Voices for the Future was underpinned by a commitment to care and wellbeing. Artist practitioners and teachers worked together to co-create and embed a multidisciplinary arts-based teaching approach, emphasizing oracy and curriculum diversification. By integrating these practices, we aimed to foster a more inclusive and engaging learning environment that reflects the diverse backgrounds of our students.

The Grand Finale

In May 2024, our journey reached its zenith at the iconic Alexandra Palace, where we hosted a performance and exhibition celebrating the outstanding work of students and teachers from the participating schools. This event was a vibrant display of creativity and collaboration, featuring performances, artwork, and projects developed over the past two years.

The children and teachers showcased their talents through various artistic mediums, highlighting the impact of the project on their learning and teaching experiences. The event was not just a celebration of artistic achievement but also a testament to the power of inclusive, anti-racist educational practices.

Looking Forward

The success of Voices for the Future has reinforced our belief in the importance of embedding creativity and inclusivity in education. However, the journey doesn’t end here. While we celebrate the accomplishments of the past two years, we recognize the ongoing need for resources, support, and opportunities to sustain and expand this work.

We are committed to continuing our efforts to support young artists and educators, ensuring that our creative industries reflect the richness and diversity of our communities. But we can't do it alone. We need your help to provide the next generation with every opportunity to thrive. Whether through funding, resources, or partnerships, your support can make a significant difference.

If you are interested in joining us in this mission, please reach out to us at steve@collage-arts.org.

Together, we can give our future voices the platform they deserve and ensure that our creative industries remain vibrant and inclusive.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to fostering creativity and inclusivity in education.

Steve Medlin

Artistic Director, Collage Arts

A message from Collage Voices artistic director

Collage Voices is dedicated to creating platforms for voices not traditionally heard and widening opportunities into the professional creative industries.

We support a large body of young emerging artists who face ever growing barriers into those industries due to a constant diminishing of open pathways and high quality affordable training. This group is highly diverse across cultural and economic backgrounds, as well as, gender, faith and social identities. A group that in reality, truly reflects the London communities we sit in.

However, community arts does not mean less. The standard of the work this group engages in is at a level that matches anywhere else. Our weekend classes costs only £2.50 but the tutors are all regulars drawn from London's top drama school institutions. Many of the emerging artists are looking to break into the industry whilst others are looking to progress into professional training. In the last two years Collage Voices have supported over 30 of our students into gaining successful places at all of London's leading drama schools as well as institutions nationally and internationally. In addition, numerous students have gained representation through our showcases. Clearly there is a need, but still a lack of fully supported pathways.

This lack of pathways, including cuts in arts access courses for 16 - 19yrs and widespread reductions of arts provisions in schools means an ever thinning of those that face additional challenges. This will ultimately effect the very fabric of our creative industries and how they represent and reflect us as a society. So, we at Collage Arts believe not just in the support of our young artists but the importance of protecting one of our countries major industries and the richness that all members of our communities can bring. But we need help. Money, resources, contacts and opportunities are limited and currently do not match the ever growing need we are experiencing. Can you help? If so I would welcome a conversation on how we can give our next generation of artists every chance to be the best they can be.

Please contact me on steve@collage-arts.org