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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£144.9K
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Spending
£147.6K
Public benefits
The direct benefits which flow from our purpose include improved access to arts and cultural activity and the enrichment that this provides for individuals, for groups and communities and for the general public. Collaborative and celebratory carnival activities and events foster good relations and result in sharing of public spaces including spaces
that have been or are contested. Public spaces and communities where the activity takes place are made more welcoming for all. Carnival parades on the streets, with large numbers of people from diverse backgrounds are experienced in ways that are culturally inclusive. More networks as well as increased informal relationships provide shared benefit to participants. NWCI’s activity increases interest in arts in young people and under-engaged groups. It improves access to information and expertise about arts for excluded people and communities. In areas that are troubled and disadvantaged it inspires ambition and enables personal achievement and communal pride. New and unique opportunities facilitate people and communities to increase skills; meet new people from other areas, backgrounds and traditions; and gain positive experiences. NWCI’s safe, imaginative and attractive arts and cultural activity results in people, including children and young people, engaging with others, visiting and learning about areas where they have not been before or previously been fearful of. This provides benefit for both local people and for tourists. There are personal, social and physical development benefits for participants including improved confidence and self-esteem; better physical and mental health; improved interpersonal skills and development of positive relationships; increased sense of wellbeing; improved community relations and better employment opportunities for local people and emerging artists. These benefits are demonstrated through a broad range of monitoring and evaluation activities undertaken as part of NWCI's overall evaluation framework. This includes gathering details of participants; logging programme participants baseline and exit surveys; completion of surveys and questionnaires by participants, parents, carers and tutors; parade and festival visitor surveys; in-depth evaluations for both internal and external use. The benefits have been clearly demonstrated over the 15 years since we were established. The purpose of NWCI may lead to minor physical harm associated with low risk carnival and performance activity. This risk is managed through thorough risk assessment and we have a track record of minimal injury over the past 15 years. This harm is outweighed by the benefits of improved quality of life through engagement in worthwhile carnival arts activity. The charity’s beneficiaries are the general public with emphasis on children and young people and those experiencing disadvantage through low income, disability and rural isolation. Local emerging artists and facilitators also benefit from our purpose. The only private benefit flowing from this purpose is the employment of the freelance artist and facilitation team who gain employment and raise their profile – which may lead to additional employment. These individuals are essential to the delivery of our purpose and their benefit is incidental.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
The North West Carnival Initiative is Carnival Arts company based in the North West of Northern Ireland. We create carnival parades and outdoor performances. We encourage our district to think big about celebrating our creative, community life in ways that are ambitious and welcoming to all. NWCI’s specialisms include performance arts such as
drumming, music, illuminated animations, street dance and puppetry. We provide training and free-of-charge participation programmes and we have extensive experience of working with community organisations. NWCI’s first parade was in 2005 and NWCI currently manage the North West Carnival Workshop. The Workshop and its programme of events, outreach work, arts production, education and training, provide a focal point for anyone interested in the development of carnival arts. It makes a special contribution to festivals, community celebrations, civic events: all of which have grown substantially in recent years. Importantly, the Workshop provides an accessible and ‘safe space’ for people in the context of an emerging, post-conflict, environment. NWCI’s annual programmes are delivered to ages range from 4 to over 60 years. These specialise in teaching carnival arts of drumming, dance, making (floats, puppets, props, costume), music and street theatre performance. Annual production organised at/from the Workshop provide 4 large-scale, public performance events, 10 to 20 smaller performances with over 200,000 general public spectators at free annual events gain enjoyment, share space and gain a shared sense of pride. Up to 1,500 diverse individuals through 150 community arts activity & training workshops annually. Participants gain new skills and relationships at the NWCI activity programmes these include Artist Masterclasses (for new and emerging carnival artists), Carnival Skills programmes, volunteer training programmes, rural programming plus extensive local outreach across all areas of the Derry and Strabane Council area.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
Who the charity helps
- Adult training
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- Ethnic minorities
- General public
- Interface communities
- Learning disabilities
- Men
- Mental health
- Older people
- Parents
- Preschool (0-5 year olds)
- Sexual orientation
- Specific areas of deprivation
- Unemployed/low income
- Voluntary and community sector
- Volunteers
- Women
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Arts
- Community development
- Cross-border/cross-community
- Cultural
- Education/training
- Rural development
- Volunteer development
- Youth development
