3 Families Inc. Animation

 

HMP Addiewell 2011

Prisoners & Their Families

Over the course of ten weeks, our facilitators worked with three families, each with a father in prison. This was a pilot project that had never been undertaken before by us, and as far as we know was the first of its type anywhere in the UK. It is with huge thanks to the The Big Lottery that this helpful project came to fruition.

The emphasis on a family unit working together in a creative workshop gave them a positive group activity to focus on. As each workshop is versatile it can be tailored to the needs of the individual within and the family group and as a whole. Theatre Nemo planned to do an animation project from the outset, as it requires team-work and encourages the development of positive interaction. Specifically, creating animation it is not something most people would generally do or have access to and is therefore entirely new for participants and offered an opportunity to learn new skills. Each family created a DVD to take home with them so that the benefits of this project could continue to be reinforced.

The feedback from the families and prison staff was great. Attendees noted that levels of self-esteem and confidence were much improved. The outcome of which shows positive lasting effects. This pilot shows that the arts are an important and powerful tool.  The evaluation process brought new learning and established good practice for working with families and widening the scope of throughcare interventions. From the perspective of Prison officers and management, who were initially skeptical about the process they were said to be ‘converted’ to supporting this initiative fully for the future.

The support offered by HMP Addiewell has been invaluable; Theatre Nemo and Prison Management have worked well together and established strong communication which has been a key factor in the project’s success.