FreqOUT!

Giving excluded young people a voice by using the right technologies

FreqOUT! was initiated in 2005 by Vital Regeneration, an agency working for positive change in London’s most deprived neighbourhoods, in collaboration with a group of private, public and voluntary sector partners and independent artists. 44% of the project’s beneficiaries are aged 14-16 with males slightly outnumbering females. 65% have a Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) background compared with a figure of about 8% in the overall population.

The City of Westminster in Central London is home to Parliament and many other major institutions – but its boundaries also contain pockets of abject poverty. Many children and young people live in overcrowded social housing or hostels, affecting their educational, social and emotional development. On the other hand, they have a keen interest in social networking sites like MySpace, Bebo and Facebook where they manage their social life. Mobile technology is a major influence and they constantly use their mobile phones to download free music, video clips and images.

Jenny observes that typical FreqOUT! participants tend to be “voracious consumers of celebrity culture. They can lack practical education which can make them vulnerable to online bullying and isolate them from opportunities in life many of us take for granted. They need solid role models to guide them in both the on- and off-line world, the boundaries of which, for them, become increasingly blurred.”

FreqOUT! employs communications technologies as ‘props’ in a process that offers young and troubled people an alternative to drug culture by raising their self-esteem and aspirations, and enable them to acquire skills that will make them employable. They offer a rolling series of three-month projects and facilitates links with local Further Education Colleges offering accredited programmes. As well as using web 2.0 technologies, they pioneered use of Westminster’s ‘Wireless City’ infrastructure, originally designed by employees of the local authority to provide improved city management services.

Following pilot projects, FreqOUT! secured its first large high profile showcase at the Institute of Contemporary Art in October 2005. Project beneficiaries had walked around their housing estate carrying GPS devices. When the positioning signals were picked up and superimposed onto Google maps they clearly showed the popular zones and, in stark contrast, the areas where local young people are frightened to go.

Projects since then have included ‘Video Sniffin’ led by artist collective MediaShed – using free wireless networks and CCTV signals to make films, with youth-led subject matter. Another example involved using MP3 players to record and edit community interviews, sounds, stories and music. The resulting ‘sonic artworks’ were broadcast from local shops for audiences including voluntary organisations, community health groups, Westminster politicians, local artists and members of the public.

Building on this, 210 young people participated in FreqOUT! projects in 2007. For example, the BBC commissioned a team of 64 FreqOUT! beneficiaries to use their mobile phones to produce Mobile Movies and deliver these across five cities using Bluetooth. During 2008 they ran 10 projects and have developed links with the Science Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Photographers Gallery and the English National Opera, introducing local young people to world class institutions on their doorsteps which they would not usually think of visiting.

In July 2008 they won the 2008 ‘Chalk and Cheese’ UK Catalyst Award, presented by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, for using mobile media as platforms and magnets for new and innovative learning.

One of FreqOUT!’s specialist roles is the recruitment of target beneficiaries. This requires a wide-ranging approach to engagement, employing strategies such as viral text messaging, social networking, online marketing and, of course, word of mouth.

“Activity is peer-led to encourage ownership of projects with many FreqOUT! beneficiaries progressing into peer mentoring roles to share experiences and assist with behaviour management issues.”

There have been challenges along the way for FreqOUT!; the path to success is rarely easy. Recruitment of excluded groups is always a challenge; turning up to sessions can be difficult when young people have so many other issues in their lives. Projects that are most successful in engaging with the user group are those that inspire and excite, but also those based on technologies that the beneficiaries can identify with and master. These include mobile and wireless communications, GPStracking, Bluetooth and social networking. All the successful projects use delivery methods that are inclusive, sensitive and adapt across the lifetime of the project.

“We try to remove barriers. For example, the Science Museum commissioned FreqOUT! to recruit and support 10 young Bangladeshi women to a week-long intensive project during October half term 2008.”

Jenny’s time is funded by Vital Regeneration and she manages a range of associate artists, support staff, interns and volunteers to deliver high quality digital creative arts programmes. Initial funding raised £10,000 to pay for a creative suite including; industry standard film equipment, a professional editing facilities and audio-visual software. For each beneficiary, completing a 2-day technology intensive course costs £200, whilst each Open College Network qualification costs £750. Projects also benefit from specialist equipment hired or donated by associate artists, whose skills and experience allows beneficiaries to obtain truly unique experience. Invaluable support has been offered by high profile guest speakers such as Dr John Bird, founder of The Big Issue magazine, and a number of leading professional filmmakers, editors and online digital specialists have donated their time and expertise.

FreqOUT!’s funders require an annual evaluation of service delivery using measures such as numbers recruited from specific socio-demographic groups, retention rates, the quality of learning in line with the Common Inspection Framework and the range of opportunities and destinations created for beneficiaries such as exhibitions, volunteering, work placements and progression routes into further learning or employment.

Jenny sees the project’s success on many levels. “FreqOUT! is about empowerment and voice – people in an excluded community are not usually listened to. … We’re bridging the digital divide by enabling participants to access technology, be innovative and think for themselves. In turn this enables control of their lives that can be extended to areas such as managing finances, applying for jobs or accessing other service provision.”

Her advice for others attempting a similar project is clear. “Growing the capacity is the biggest issue for any community project. Be open about how much resource is needed … or you will become stretched and this is likely to be detrimental further down the line. Listen to what the community is asking for, regularly consult community leaders and get funders on board to understand and communicate the real support needed by the beneficiaries to remove barriers to engagement.”

The next stage for FreqOUT! will be to increase the project capacity and reach and work with a greater range of partners across London for the benefit of more disadvantaged communities. “After all, the initiative is completely mobile.”