Haringey Shed awarded for putting young people Centre Stage!
31 August 2010
Haringey Shed has achieved the highest score out of all youth organisations to be Youth Mark assessed for their work with young people in Haringey. Haringey Shed is an inclusive Theatre company providing creative workshops and professionally produced performance opportunities for children and young people of all abilities and needs.
The assessment found that the organisation caters for young people of all abilities and needs and was impressed by Haringey Shed staff and volunteer’s commitment and willingness to allow everyone to play a part. A young member of Haringey Shed said of the organisation:
“The strength of Haringey Shed is inclusion, providing opportunities for young people to take part, supporting those with disabilities and bringing young people of all abilities and needs together.”
Interviews with staff, volunteers and young people revealed they see Haringey Shed as a ‘one big family’ and felt proud to be part of the organisation. This strong sense of family and community amongst Haringey Shed stood out to the young people carrying out the assessment as something really special.
It was clear to the young people carrying out the assessment that all staff, volunteers and young people firmly believed in equality and inclusion. They were impressed by the professional support provided by the organisation, including access to interpreters for people with hearing problems and one to one support provided by trained volunteers. Through observation they found that the young people themselves played a huge role in supporting and involving their peers and this was something that reinforced the organisations motto “Everyone has a part to play”.
The young assessors found that Haringey Shed is committed to involving young people in the design and delivery of their organisation not just in acting, singing and dancing. Young people are engaged in service delivery at Haringey Shed, supporting other young people in the children’s theatre, choosing the themes for plays, designing choreography and fundraising for the organisation.
The Haringey Shed youth forum is integral to the organisation, giving young people the opportunity to have their say and make improvements to their organisation.
Assessors found that not all young people at Haringey Shed were aware of the Youth Forum and suggested that they make all young people attending aware of this opportunity every week, allowing more young people the chance to have their say in how the organisation is run.
Lynne Hale the Director of Haringey Shed said of the Youth Mark assessment process:
"This was a very positive learning experience for us as an organisation; it was inspiring to see the way the youth assessors worked, particularly in their self-assured and effective presentation of their findings. I thoroughly recommend the Youth Mark quality award for youth organisations interested in a young person’s approach to monitoring and evaluation."
Any organisation working with young people can participate in a Youth Mark assessment. For further details of how your organisation could benefit from Youth Mark contact Jenny Walton on jenny.walton@y-gen.co.uk .
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