Back in February 2021, we started working with Bury Youth Service on a project with the Children in Care Council and artist in residence here at The Met, Oliver Bishop (Yan Tan Tethera). The idea behind the project was to work with the young people to create an audio story that helped to depict their journeys in the care system, providing an insight for workers and policy-makers and a friendly and helpful tool for supporting young people new to the process.  

The group worked over the course of 3 months, developing a story that became ‘Noah and the Unknown’. They recorded their stories at Edwin Street Recording Studio, added sound effects and were able to develop new skills utilising everything the studio has to offer.   

In September, the piece was premiered at an event at The New Kershaw Centre for youth workers, senior staff and carers and the feedback received was incredible. Here is what Heather Walton, Youth Participation Officer had to say  

Thanks ever so much for pairing our Children in Care Council with Oliver to develop an audio play. The young people got such a lot out of the experience both in terms of the empowerment of being able to share their experiences and use them to create something wonderful but also the experience of being in a recording studio. The audio play itself will be used to train new social workers in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and existing staff across Bury from foster carers to social workers and any other professionals working with children and young people in care. It provides a valuable insight into young people’s experiences and feelings and will help professionals to empathise with young people. The audio play will also be shared with children and young people coming into care and already in the care system and used as a tool to help them talk about their own experiences and to help them feel less alone. Colleagues across the North West have also asked if we can share the audio play for them to use. 

 Oliver was wonderful from start to finish and really was the perfect person to empower our young people to tell their stories. I have just heard that there may be an opportunity to do some further work with Oliver to develop the audio play into a touring show and I know the young people would absolutely love this opportunity and I think it has the potential to have a huge impact across the North West.

Thanks ever so much for all your support, we look forward to working together again very soon!

This was a really powerful and exciting project to be able to run and we are delighted with the impact it has had and the legacy that it will continue to have for services in our local area and beyond.  

If you would like to explore a creative project with your services users, please get in touch with steph.meskellbrocken@themet.org.uk  . Everything that we create at The Met is bespoke and we will work with you to develop a programme that suits the needs of your community.