BLOG: Practical Participation in a Digital World: supporting virtual engagement in hands-on and performative outreach activity

The pivot to online outreach in the wake of the pandemic presented a complex set of challenges and opportunities for the Arts and Humanities Outreach Team at the University of Leeds. Beyond initial key concerns of how we could continue to reach our audiences and provide high quality, engaging outreach, we were immediately struck with what this would mean for our practice-based subjects; how can we deliver creative arts workshops? How do we re-create the drama studio? We were delighted to join the NEON Summer Symposium 2021 to explore these questions through two case studies of virtual outreach activity.

Our Art & Design Saturday Club is a sustained engagement project delivered with the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies and part of the national network coordinated by the Saturday Club Trust. The Club gives young people aged 13-16 the opportunity to study art on Saturday mornings free of charge. The aim is to nurture their talent, build their confidence, give them an insight into student life and an understanding of future opportunities, as well as helping to improve their schoolwork.

Pre-lockdown, the Club involved very hands-on, creative arts workshops based in the School of Fine Art, using specialist facilities and working with staff, students and professional artists, plus lots of visits to local and national galleries. A key part of the programme was the social aspect, mixing with people from different schools, year groups, abilities and backgrounds, coming together in a creative space to make and chat in a small group without the assessment pressures of school.

In the immediate aftermath of lockdown we tried an asynchronous approach (worksheets) to keep connected to our members, but this had limited up-take. So, as soon as our safeguarding guidance was in place, we launched our live sessions. Using the University approved Blackboard Collaborate platform (Zoom was not deemed safe to use at that time), our strategy was to deliver live workshops consisting of short making, researching and discussion activities that could be done with just paper and pen. There was no pressure to turn on mics and cameras, and we were surprised at the importance of the chat function and the richness of discussions, supported by verbal responses from facilitators and Student Ambassadors. Despite the overwhelming positive feedback received at the end of the programme, when it became clear that a return to campus wasn’t possible for our 2021/22 Club, we knew we needed to make some changes.

A key progression was to post material packs providing the basics plus more specialised materials, allowing for a broader range of activities and processes to be explored. We also added virtual gallery visits, including exploring the Hepworth Wakefield gallery via google earth, video tours of exhibitions, discussions with curators, artists and gallery staff, and a Masterclass with the design agency PreistmanGoode; all providing an inspiring insight into a range future careers in the arts. Our use of technology developed too, we were now authorised to use Zoom with its slicker interface, and we could share and collaborate on artworks during the workshops using tools like Seesaw and Miro. Over the 12-week programme we had 235 instances of engagement with an average of 20 members attending the online workshops each week. The average session score was 9/10, and 100% of members agreed that they experienced a broad range of activities and would recommend a Club to a friend.

What’s next for our Club? We know there have been real benefits in virtual delivery for our shyer members – and although we are keen to get back into the studio, we will retain some form of live-feed sharing in class, to help with feedback, confidence, and collecting artworks.

‘Skill Up in Theatre and Performance’ is our unique programme of weekly online workshops for Year 12 students seeking an insight into life studying Theatre and Performance at university. Participants had the opportunity to develop vital skills in devising, directing, writing and studying theatre, to support their transition to higher education. The content of the programme was developed closely with academics in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries (PCI), and the programme was delivered alongside colleagues from Leeds Playhouse, with whom we partnered in order to highlight this relationship, and the opportunities available to undergraduates. Unlike the Saturday Club, this was a new project, initially planned to be a series of campus days. But how did we mirror the drama studio online?

It was vital to create a welcoming and inclusive environment to empower participants to collaborate and feel confident performing. Although there is value in running larger online events, we had to create a space that encouraged students to use their cameras and microphones – a ‘webinar style’ environment just wasn’t going to cut it. For this reason, we decided to work with only 25 students, using breakout rooms to split into much smaller groups within the constraints of our safeguarding guidelines.

We chose Zoom for our online platform, feeling it provided the best gallery view, with easy-to-use breakout rooms and strong connectivity. We contacted students before the sessions to set expectations, informing them that using cameras and microphones would help them make the most of the sessions. We also ran an ice-breaker session at the start, where students tested their cameras worked. Most students kept their cameras and microphones on during the programme to interact with the content, with minimal use of the chat box.

Another important element of the programme was to showcase the sense of community that comes with studying a degree like theatre – full of collaboration and group creativity. Each session was run by a different deliverer, so it was important to provide consistency and familiarity with our Student Ambassadors, who supported each session and facilitated the breakout rooms. The smaller groups allowed not only more in-depth discussion, but also a social space not overseen by a member of staff. Ambassadors could facilitate discussions and support delivery whilst being closer to a peer and provide insight into student life through organic conversations.

Over the four-week programme, each session received an average score of 8/10 or higher, and students commented that they were valuable in supporting their higher education decisions. Following the success of our digital outreach, ‘Skill Up’ is likely to continue as a hybrid model, taking advantage of the extended reach to participants across the UK through digital workshops as well as the amazing spaces available on campus in the School of PCI.

Sarah Richardson, Outreach and Saturday Club Project Officer and Lauren Barraclough, Events and Projects Officer, University of Leeds

Photos by © Magnus Andersson www.magnus-andersson.com

Quotes

“I’m so grateful that these sessions have run even during lockdown, the atmosphere of them has been an amazing alternative to homeschooling.”

Saturday Club parent

“The Saturday Club has helped me think, explore and question things [it has helped] me with my GCSE Art and I feel like I’ve gained confidence”

Saturday Club member

“I enjoyed the opportunity to meet artists and professionals in the industry. I loved the Masterclasses and the Live London trip. I feel like I have learnt a lot and made a difference”

Saturday Club member

“I love how despite being online, we were all still able to split off into smaller groups and get to know each other.”
Skill Up in Theatre and Performance participant

“I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions; they were engaging, informative and inspiring. I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to speak to professionals as well as students at Uni of Leeds to gain an understanding of theatre education and careers.”
Skill Up in Theatre and Performance participant

“[Skill Up] was incredibly inclusive and helped me gain confidence in sharing my ideas.”
Skill Up in Theatre and Performance participant