YDANCE Annual Report April 2021 [Final Version] YD CB5 June 2021 | Page 29

Reflecting on this year , YDance and Glass have achieved credible results within extraneous circumstances that were outwith their control . All strands were severely impacted .
Strand 1 : The Juke Box experiment reached far wider than anticipated . This is significant because young people in Polmont HMYOI were at times cut off from all external contact . Given that the whole country was isolated from family and friends , we can empathise more readily with how difficult it must have been . The vitality of the outlet that the Juke Box provided was significant to the well-being of the whole prison community .
Accordingly with the Juke Box now having gained its own funding both Glass and YDance should continue to link with the Juke Box and in-house media centre as they re-establish their original programme . This is acknowledged in this reflection from Glass :
Communicating via EaP has allowed us to connect with individuals , give feedback on their work , develop ideas together and provide a meaningful creative learning experience . Broadcasting prison wide has allowed us to reach new participants and provide activities for everyone , not just those who have chosen to engage directly .
We will develop a programme that can be responsive to the changing situation and can be delivered using the channels available , such as the EaP service and the Media Centre . We will ensure our staff have the equipment required to deliver the project remotely and have received training where needed .
We will discuss plans with Barnardo ’ s and the SPS to ensure support for the young people is in place and the staff working from within Polmont have the capacity to support the programme .
We will work with a dedicated member of staff from both the SPS and Barnardo ’ s to ensure consistency . We will schedule regular team meetings to share progress and learning and discuss any changes we need to make .
For instance , YDance has found a reluctance to connect with the dance programme , among young males . It is possible that through the now trusted Juke Box project YDance can find ways to break
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