Our Impact in 2020-2021
2020 and early 2021 were full of turbulence and upheaval on a scale previously unthought of, but it was also a time of innovation and creativity, most notably in the arts and cultural sector. At Kazzum Arts we are unsure how we would have survived the Covid-19 pandemic without the hard work and creative action from our wide net of collaborators and community. We can say with certainty that their support has uplifted and inspired us to move forwards despite all the challenges thrown our way, and even helped us to develop new paths and ways of working that we are now incredibly proud of.
Our latest Impact Report has been brought together to reflect on the period of 2020-2021 and everything that went into making it such a singular year. This was the year that saw a pandemic force everyone behind doors and online. This was a year of isolation and fear for many people, but also a year when the importance of community spirit and togetherness was felt more keenly than ever. For Kazzum Arts this was the year that we really expanded our network and threw ourselves into deepening our relationships with the children and young people on our programmes, and finding innovative new ways to work remotely and move our workshops online. Part of that commitment resulted in two activity packs; one called ‘Who Run the World?’ for our Build participants, and one for our Apollo participants. ‘Who Run the World?’ was designed to continue the themes of in-person workshops, containing a series of exercises to prompt self-reflection interspersed with mindful colouring pages and quotes from public figures that the group had identified as inspirational. Our Apollo creative packs were full of materials and activities that would encourage connection with the staff on their ward and stimulate mental wellbeing through jokes, games, and art activities. Both packs were a testament to the ingenuity of the artists we work with.
A few highlights from this year include:
We engaged over 856 children and young people through arts activities, 346 through online and in person workshops, and over 510 through remote resources.
Our trauma awareness training has reached over 613 artists, professionals and students working within trauma-impacted environments, highlighting best practice and raising awareness.
We provided 22 vital opportunities for our artist community to meet, share, explore and create online.
We worked with 21 community groups, education settings and organisations.
We put a lot of hard work into maintaining connections with the wider Kazzum family, and we were acutely aware that the pandemic would be having a devastating effect upon the freelancers that we regularly work with. Our efforts to support our freelance practitioners was recognised when we were awarded the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance Practising Well Award, which was a huge encouragement for us to continue with the progress we had made thus far. We were also awarded a bronze level London Youth Quality Mark, a quality assurance scheme accredited by City and Guilds, which felt like another significant step as an organisation.
We would like to thank everyone that has been a part of the past year, including all of the artists we work with, the organisations who fund or collaborate with us, our trustees and staff, and the wonderful, resilient, creative children and young people that continue to inspire us year on year!
We remain optimistic for the year to come, and look forward to expanding on many of the things we learnt in the period spanning 2020-2021. The next steps for Kazzum include creating our business plan for 2022-25 which will focus on developing our work as a trauma-informed organisation.