During Spring 2008, hub4 went on the road with go4: a series of 1 day training days for young people.
The idea for go4 came from talking to participants of the hub4 project who requested more activities and workshops in specific artforms within the hub4 training programme. We have delivered 8 go4 events across the 4 hub regions, and a variety of workshops have been delivered including:
- Circus Skills
- Film Production
- African Drumming
- Dance
- Photography
- Breakdance
- Drumming and Percussion
- DJing
- Physical Theatre
- Radio Production
The events took the form of workshop sessions, with participants able to choose 1 workshop in the morning and a different one in the afternoon. Sessions lasted for 2 hours enabling participants to get a real taste of the artform and in some cases, work towards a finished product or performance.
go4 SE
go4 Southampton: Wednesday 20th February 2008, Eastpoint Centre, Thornhill
Workshops:
- Circus Skills
- Film Production
- African Drumming
- Dance
Southampton was the first location of the eight go4 training events and it was a fantastic day. We welcomed young people who had not been involved in the hub4 project before, as well as existing members of the project, including some who had just completed the hub4 Drama Week with the Prince’s Trust. The go4 events in the South East were pretty special, as Tom Greaves who had participated in all the hub4 training courses in 2007 and attended the hub4 trip to Access All Areas in Bexhill on Sea came on board as a facilitator for our Circus workshops. Tom is an amazing talent in the world of Circus Skills, and was able to share his abilities with go4 participants. Also attending were young people who were engaged with the Southampton Marketing Training hub, who took part in the Film Production workshops, which linked in really well with the work they were doing already.
go4 Chichester: Thursday 21st February 2008, The Venue, Chichester
Workshops:
- Circus Skills
- Film Production
- African Drumming
- Dance
Day Two and we were geared up for another brilliant experience. Thanks especially to the guys from The Foyer in Portsmouth who came along and threw themselves into the fun. The space in The Venue was mainly one massive room, with a smaller room off to the side. For most of the day, the smaller room was filled with the drumming workshop whilst everyone else used different parts of the larger room. During the day, some bright spark had the brilliant idea for a collaboration, and so whilst working separately on their artforms, everyone had their sights set on a larger goal. It all came together at the end of the day, as the dancers performed on the stage in front of the drummers who provided the beats, and it was all captured on video by the Film Production team.
go4 NE
go4 Stockton-on-Tees: Tuesday 26th February 2008, ARC, Stockton
Workshops:
- Breakdance
- Photography
- Physical Theatre
- Drumming and Percussion
- DJing
After the success of the events in the South East, the go4 roadshow headed up to the North East, keen to deliver more quality arts workshops to young people. A big shout out to everyone who came along to join in the fun in Stockton, including the group from Community Campus 87, who brought some much energy and enthusiasm to the day. The afternoon session in Stockton saw yet another go4 collaboration come together as the Physical Theatre and Breakdance Facilitators came together to deliver their sessions, making for an amazing experience.
go4 Newcastle: Thursday 28th February 2008, The Sage Gateshead
Workshops:
- Breakdance
- Photography
- Physical Theatre
- Drumming and Percussion
- DJing
Next stop on the go4 tour was Newcastle, and we couldn’t believe that we were halfway through our event delivery already! The Sage Gateshead is a huge building alongside the River Tyne, so we had lovely views for the whole day. We had a really busy day with participants coming from all over Newcastle and the surrounding areas, and workshops filled up really well. The DJing session was particularly popular, so much so that there was a lunchtime queue to sign up for the afternoon sessions!!
go4 E
go4 Ipswich: Monday 10th March 2008, CSV Media Clubhouse, Ipswich
Workshops:
- Drumming
- DJing
- Digital Media
Ipswich was our next stop, and despite the fact that the whole of the UK had suffered severe storms and hurricane winds, we still had an amazing group of young people turn up. The drumming session was using junk percussion, and everyone really enjoyed getting stuck into making some noise. Likewise, the DJing session was well-attended, and everyone had a great time mixing it up. Everyone at the Media Clubhouse was brilliant (even the guy who stole all our Jaffa Cakes), and a fantastic day was had by all.
go4 Norwich: Friday 14th March 2008, The Garage, Norwich
Workshops:
- Dance
- DJing
- Music Production
- Backstage Theatre Tour
go4 Norwich was a great event, particularly because a group of hub4 participants attended to support the go4 team in the delivery of the day. The group came along as Peer Mentors as part of their Train the Trainer course, and manned the registration desk, handing out goodie bags and making sure all the other participants were enjoying the day. Our Peer Mentors also took part in the sessions, so they really got the most out of the day. The backstage theatre tour was at nearby Theatre Royal Norwich, and the group got to see what goes on backstage at a working theatre, including the costumes, set and props. They also got to experience standing on the stage of a professional working theatre.
go4 NW
go4 Liverpool: Tuesday 25th March 2008, The Liverpool Lighthouse
Workshops:
- Circus Skills
- Dance
- Film Production
- DJing
As the go4 tour began to wind down, we found ourselves heading to the last region on the list – The North West. The group from the Foyer threw themselves into the Circus workshop, using the unicycles, tightrope and poi. We also had some very persuasive participants taking part in the film-making workshop with the guys from Seal Films, so go4 staff and people who worked at the venue were talked into giving interviews to camera. Another successful day in the go4 tour, and now only 1 more date to go….
go4 Manchester: Thursday 27th March 2008, Zion Arts Centre, Manchester
Workshops:
- Circus Skills
- Dance
- Film Production
- DJing
- Drama
The final destination on our go4 tour was Manchester, and the sun shone for us! After a quiet morning, things really picked up in the afternoon where both the Circus Skills and the Dance workshops proved to be very popular. Meanwhile, a collaboration between the Drama and Film-Making workshops proved successful, and young people from the local area joined us as they had heard something exciting was going on!
