Common Ground at NWT Roydon Common

Young Community Heritage Artist Brief

Project Artist commission: £1,000

Deadline for application: 11 July 2021

Are you a budding photographer or filmmaker (aged 25 or under) with an interest in youth work? We’re looking for a Young Community Heritage Artist to play a key role in this unique and exciting project.

About Common Ground

Common Ground is ambitious and radical. We’re working to make heritage relevant and meaningful for young people of all backgrounds, challenge stereotypes and make the sector more inclusive. We know the term ‘heritage’ itself can be a bit off-putting to some young people, but really it’s all about stories – challenging existing narratives, and ensuring that going forward, everyone’s stories, past and present, are being told.

Young people are involved in every aspect of the project from choosing what creative projects we run, which artists we commission, and of course taking part.

We are a Norfolk & Norwich Festival 250 project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. We are proud to be delivering this project in partnership with Colchester + Ipswich Museums, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, National Trust, Prince’s Trust, SHARE Museums East, and Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

What are the benefits for you?

This might all sound well and good, but what do YOU get out of this? Well, being involved in this project as a Young Community Heritage Artist will mean you will have:

Worked with an awesome group of young people aged 13 - 18. Watched an experienced artist demonstrate best practice in co-creating with young

people. Gained experience working with high profile organisations. Spent time learning and documenting a Norfolk Wildlife Trust Site. Learnt about how we collect evaluation and why this is important. Support from the Common Ground Team to receive any training which might be suitable

for the role. This might include first aid training, safeguarding training or just support setting yourself up for self-employed work i.e. we can cover costs for public liability insurance and talk this through with you.

Essentially, this will be a GREAT job to talk about on your CV. Plus you’ll also have gained a load of genuinely valuable experience, and contacts you can use as references for future jobs. Oh yeah, and you’ll also have fun doing it.

About NWT Roydon Common

Now for the beautiful details. NWT Roydon Common forms the heart of the Gaywood Valley Living Landscape Area and is the largest surviving open heath in west Norfolk.  With over 15 species of dragonfly, 30 species of butterfly, 450 species of moth, and birds such as nightjars and woodlarks nesting in the area, the site is essentially one big party for a huge range of Norfolk’s wildlife. The greatest spectacle takes place in August and early September (when our project takes place) and when the site’s prodigious stands of heather are in flower. Delightful.

Credit: Elizabeth Dack

Co-Creation

In Common Ground, we work with young people to co-create projects that inspire them to relate heritage to their own lives and create a new heritage interpretation. This means they will play a central role in the creation of the outcomes of each project, from beginning to end. Doing this successfully is about staying open and inviting their ideas through the whole process. We are looking for a young community heritage artist to work alongside the artist to help the young people make their ideas come to life and value them as collaborators. The young people involved should feel a clear sense of ownership and pride in what they make.

The Project

We’re looking for a young artist to support our wildlife filmmaker/photographer in leading a project in August 2021 at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust site Roydon Common.

The project aims to work with a group of young people to find creative ways to highlight the importance of the common, its unique wildlife, and communicate how special and diverse it is. We envision this to involve young people learning about documenting the world around them through video and photo content capturing. We imagine over the week they would learn a mix of skills, from the micro - capturing specific species up close, to the macro - capturing the common from high in the sky via drone.

This project will be defined by what the young people are most interested in and what the group’s combined creativity inspires. As the Young Community Heritage Artist, you will work with the lead artist and Common Ground staff to make this project come to life. We would like the Young Community Heritage Artist to bring their creativity to this role, to be ready to offer ideas and work to support the young people taking part to feel confident in suggesting bold ideas and experimenting with what could be possible at this site. We would also like the Young Community Heritage Artist to help us capture photo and video content of the young people taking part.

Objectives and Outputs

The overall aim of the project is to support young people to discover, document and share the importance of the common, its unique wildlife, and how special and diverse it is. To do this, the Young Community Heritage Artist will:

Support the artist to deliver a week of workshops with young people aged between 13 to 18 who will be recruited by the Common Ground team.

Support young people to bring their ideas to life, working with participants as equals to create and refine content documenting the common.

Capture photo and video content of young people participating in the workshops Collaborate with Norfolk Wildlife Trust and other partners to support the production

and sharing of the content. Work in partnership with Common Ground, team partners, stakeholders and

specifically the Evaluation Consultant to ensure that we deliver high-quality artistic engagement in heritage and collect the appropriate data from participants.

Ensure the activities delivered in this contract are accessible, planned to support low barriers to entry, easy to learn for participants, focused on people's engagement in the real world, and interactive and fun.

Who are we looking for?

The Young Community Heritage Artist will need to have:

An interest/experience as a photographer and/or filmmaker. A willingness to bring your listening skills, creativity, and problem-solving skills to

support the artist however works best for the running of the project. A passion for working with young people aged 13-18. An understanding of the importance of health and safety, equal opportunities, and

safeguarding procedures relating to work with young and vulnerable people (we can support you in learning more about these procedures). The role will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

This role is called Young Community Heritage Artist as this is a community arts project inspired by heritage; we do not expect you to be an expert in community work, heritage or the arts, just a have a genuine interest in them. To apply for this job you do not need experience being involved in or supporting similar projects; just tell us why you think you are the right person for the job.

This is the ideal position for an individual who is looking to start or develop a career in photography and/or film work and community work. Our ideal candidate will bring their artistic voice and enthusiasm to this project to support planning and development, but will also know when to sit back and let the participants take charge. We hope that the Young Community Heritage Artist will be able to connect with the participants as someone who is closer to them in age, and will support any individuals who are struggling to engage in the project to feel included.

Common Ground welcomes applicants from a wide mix of people because we want to work with individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds. This includes people who identify as disabled and people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Please note that as an outdoor site NWT Roydon Common may not be fully accessible to all. A detailed accessibility assessment for the site will be carried out ahead of the project.

Key dates for the project are:

Partner Introduction, site visit and planning session:1 day in July (Date TBC)

Taster Session:9 August (NWT Roydon Common)

Workshops Week: 16 – 20 August (NWT Roydon Common)

Evaluation:1 Day in September (Date TBC)

Working with COVID-19

As regulations around Covid-19 change, Norfolk & Norwich Festival Trust will work with you to ensure the delivery remains safe for you, the participants and anyone else who comes

into contact with the project. Throughout planning of the activity, we will work with you to identify contingencies which allow us to adapt delivery should restrictions tighten (such as another lockdown).

We reserve the right to take any action we think necessary to comply with Health & Safety legislation and current government guidelines about Covid-19. We will provide Covid-19 codes of conduct and risk assessments which you will be expected to abide by at all times. You will also be required to abide by any regulations set out by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust or their licence, including Covid-19 regulations.

More About Norfolk & Norwich Festival

Norfolk & Norwich Festival shares exceptional arts experiences across East England. We lead and support celebration, creativity and curiosity in our community to make our part of the world a great place to live, work and play.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival takes place in Norwich and around Norfolk for 17 days each May. The Festival programme encompasses many different artforms, it is contemporary, international and for everybody. The Festival is distinctive because we collaborate with artists – from down the road and around the world – to explore the unique physical and cultural identities of our place and to make art which is meaningful to the lives of our audiences.

Year-round Norfolk & Norwich Festival undertakes projects and initiatives – including Festival Bridge, Common Ground and Norfolk Open Studios – which extend our reach and influence across East England. Our festival spirit, which guides the ways we work, is to be:

Creative We champion artistic excellence and value creativity in everyone.Curious We explore and reflect the changing social and physical contexts in which we live.Inclusive We are respectful of the diversity and difference of people and their views and

values.Collaborative We work with artists, communities, peers, partners and stakeholders to achieve

common goals.Strategic We balance artistic and social ambition with a sustainable business.

www.nnfestival.org.uk

Application Form

To apply, simply record a 3-minute video of yourself explaining why you think you’re a good fit for the role and complete the short Young Community Heritage Artist Application Form below. Send this alongside a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, to commonground@nnfestival.org.uk with the subject line ‘Young Community Heritage Artist Application’. We must receive your application by 11:59pm Sunday 11th July 2021.

If you require the brief and application form in large print or would like to submit in an alternative format please contact us at commonground@nnfestival.org.uk or call 01603 877750 to discuss your access requirements.

If you have a question about the application process don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Please only apply for this role if you are aged 25 or under. Any applicants who do not meet these requirements will not be considered.

The information provided will be treated in accordance with Norfolk & Norwich Festival’s Data Protection Policy.

Section 1 - Personal DetailsFull name

Pronouns (optional)

Address

Phone number

Email address

Section 2 – About You and Your PracticeProvide a link to your video application. The video should be a maximum of 3 mins long. We don’t expect anything fancy or professional just you talking into the camera about:

who you are and what you currently do why you’re interested you in this job why you think you’re a good fit for the job.

Section 3 – Previous Experience

What is your prior work experience? Please include any experience working with young people aged 13-18? (max 750 characters)

What experience, if any, do you have of working creatively in response to heritage e.g. nature,

wildlife, history, artifacts or historic places? If this is new to you please outline your interest in responding to heritage. (max 600 characters)

What professional experience or learning would you like to gain in this role? (max 600 characters)

How will this support you to achieve next steps in your career or personal goals? (max 600 characters)

Email your completed form to commonground@nnfestival.org.uk. Ensure you also return a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.