Green Gown Awards 2015 – Community Innovation - London College of Fashion (UAL) - Highly Commended

Creative Collaborations//Design+Make (in collaboration with Art Against Knives)

DESIGN+MAKE was a collaborative pilot project with the charity Art Against Knives. It engaged hard to reach young people (18-24) that were potential victims or perpetrators of violent knife crime from areas of high deprivation within London. 

Over the course of two weeks, eight participants worked together and were equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to design and make their own leather bag using traditional handcraft leather techniques.

The participants were encouraged to work within a framework where they could explore and communicate the positive and negative aspects of their environments and the consequential impact on their lives.

The project facilitated an increased understanding of environment, individual circumstances and the choices available to the young people, engaging them in the prospect of Higher Education and inspiring the confidence within individuals to explore new opportunities.

Top 3 learnings

1 We learnt that new teaching methods such as these can inform and inspire our academic practice

2 We learnt that the teaching environment in projects such as this can be fundamental to the participants experience and the learning activities

3 We have better understood the value of using creative projects such as this as a tool for communicating with diverse audiences and communities in a fully inclusive way.

Videos

• Creative Collaborations//Design+Make (in collaboration with Art Against Knives) (click to hide)