Hoist up the main sail!! Last night we celebrated four successful weeks of creative summer workshops, together with young people, parents, volunteers and the odd parrot. Young pirates in Hackney took us on a voyage of the past four weeks through the songs they wrote, the plays they penned and the stories they imagined into being. We were all amazed by their creativity and confidence.

But this was not just a party. This was also the official launch of the first Hackney Pirates products range: a series of exclusive screen-printed T-shirts with quotes from Hackney Pirates plays; a collection of comic stories by young pirates in Dalston; and a CD of the highlights of Hackney Pirates Radio. These products were created during the summer workshops in collaboration with local creative professionals. Our products will soon be available to buy online – watch this space.

This is only the beginning for the Hackney Pirates…….young people and grown ups are plotting together for the Hackney Pirates’ next adventures. Man the lookout!

Check back soon for more news, or follow us on twitter @hackneypirates

Many thanks to Lily Eastwood for leading the Tasty Dalston workshops! What TASTY treats indeed. Thanks also to Ben Metz for all his wonderful help programming the sessions  and to Amanda Jones for creating this fantastic website: www.hackneypirates.org/tastydalston… our product for the week! Have fun reading our poems, blogs and reviews.

Saskia, one of our fantastic volunteers has secretly been working on a movie. And here it is!

What a week… the Hackney Pirates Theatre Company got up to all sorts! We started off the week by deconstructing the elements of a Play and went on to develop our ideas about characterisation, setting and plot. Doesn’t that sound fancy eh? So what makes a good Play? Action…stir in a spot of conflict, and then proceed with more action!  By the end of the week everyone had written and performed their very own short Play. We can’t wait to see quotes on T-shirts! Many, many thanks to Independent Drama worker John Kirk and Writer David Warrington for delivering a great week of lively workshops. Thanks also to ALL of our trusty pirate volunteers…

Thanks to all young people for the work you put into your plays. We had some weird and wonderful tales; from train-top battles to smart sushi dinners in Tokyo, from decapitated ghouls to lunch with the lizard!

Thanks to Renee, Molly, Adele, Kristen, Tai, Shawn, Dylan, Hannah, Tiffany, Eleida, Rhasea, John, Tobias and Jazelle.

Finally, BIG THANKS to the Dalston Roof Park and the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden for sharing their lovely community spaces and gardens with us.

So pirates, remember to keep it REAL!

Respect
Encourage
Achieve
Listen

And now it’s time to get tasting… erm, what does Dalston taste like?… stay tuned for next week’s review.

Thank you to all of those who participated in the Hackney Pirates ‘Graphic Novel’ workshop. We had an incredible week and have some fine stories and drawings to show for it. We are currently preparing all the work to be published – so watch this space. A special thanks to workshop leaders Roger Mason, Beverly Humphrey and Saskia Schmidt. Thanks also to all our wonderful volunteers and photographers that helped steer the pirate ship this week.

Most of all, we want to thank the young people that made our first workshop such a great experience…well done for your wonderful ideas, enthusiasm and energy.

Many thanks to: Sam, Louis, Jade, Renee, Tyreece, Cory, Molly, Adele, Tai, Shawn, Rosa, Bella, Kristen, Dylan, Hannah, Tiffany, Saffron, Claudia and Eleida.

Now it’s The Hackney Pirate Theatre Company’s chance to steer…. watch for updates.

Hackney Pirates and our new office mascot(!) would like to say a big thank you to the The Youth Funding Network and all of the fabulous folk who turned up last night to support our good selves and the other causes: Boom Bus & Cecily’s Fund…

Here’s our summer Pirate Programme:

Week One:  Graphic Novelists ahoy! 26^th – 30^th July (2-5pm daily)

Get ready to sketch, scribble and re-invent your own version of the story behind the London Skyline. We will be designing and producing a graphic novel based on an ‘alternative’ London Skyline, inspired by Dalston Roof Park views.

 Week Two:  Publish a play!…on a T-shirt  2^nd – 6^th August (2-5pm daily)

You don’t need to be Shakespeare to have your plays published! We’ll be working with local actors, writers and theatre groups to create short poems and plays – we will be promoting our work by printing selected quotes on T-shirts and other merchandise.

 Week Three:  What does Dalston taste like? 9^th – 13^th August (2-5pm daily)

Ever wondered where your food comes from? We’ll be creating an audio ‘taste’ guide to Hackney – we will be interviewing local market stall holders and creating a recipe book of some of Hackney’s favourite dishes (we might even try a few!)

 Week Four: Hackney Pirate Radio! 16^th – 20^th August (2-5pm daily)

So what have you got to say for yourself? Can you MC, or have you ever dreamt of presenting your own show? We’ll be working with local radio DJ’s and music artists to create the Hackney Pirates radio station – with a CD to take away!

email emma@bootstrapcompany.co.uk

call 07922698111

or 020 7275 0825

or text ‘Pirates’ to this number  07922698111 for more info

Sign up quick! Places are limited!

• Wanted: Talented young people aged 10-13
• Where: Dalston Roof Park – the park on top of a city
• What: Creative Workshops – making real products
• Such as?: Publish a play on a T-Shirt; make a Dalston taste guide; Hackney Pirate Radio
• First up: Make your own graphic novel 26-30th July
• How do I sign up? Click on the ‘enrol’ tab above.

The Hackney Pirates is an innovative education project aimed at filling a gap in the school system.

We are a group of teachers and social entrepreneurs working to develop core literacy skills and creative ability in young people in our target area of Dalston, by giving young people one to one attention in an unconventional learning environment. Based on the premise that young people progress fastest when given personalised attention from an adult who cares, and using the incredible resource of the individuals employed in the creative industries in Hackney, we will develop an educational hub that supports local schools and young people.

We are interested in replicating aspects of a successful movement of out-of-school support centres developed in the USA. The first project in San Francisco (www.826national.org ) matched local writers with school pupils to work on homework and creative writing projects. The model has been replicated in nine locations and created numerous examples of how to engage the local community in improving the attainment and aspirations of young people.
The core principles which we will be applying in Hackney are:

• Using the diverse skills of local volunteers
• Creating an unconventional and creative environment which encourages original thinking
• Giving young people personalised attention that will:
1. provide alternative and inspiring role models and
2. develop the skills they need to achieve

Our long term vision for the project is a permanent out of school learning hub where children work both on their school work and on other tangible creative outputs, such as poetry anthologies, blogs and product designs. We want to challenge the focus on standardised educational outputs by engaging young people on holistic projects which both inspire them to generate their own ideas and develop core skills.

During the summer holidays of 2010, we will be piloting the project with local volunteers and a small group of young people aged 10-13. During daily sessions we will be experimenting with different activities, which we have developed in collaboration with a group of experienced youth workers and teachers. We will also be working to consult young people on their views of the educational landscape in Hackney, so they are the co-designers and owners of the final product. We have secured a location for the pilot and raised c. £3000 to employ a coordinator. We are currently fundraising for materials and are on track to secure c. £4000. We have recruited the coordinator and also 60+ volunteers, including magazine writers, product designers and bloggers.

Avast ye me lads and lasses!

Welcome to hackneypirates.org! We’re still moving in so excuse the mess, but take a seat, rest yar peg legs, we’ll have the place spruced up in no time..

Crew! All Hands Hoay!