Active Generation Dance and Technology

Transcription

1 Active Generation Dance and Technology Introduction This project consists of creative dance and technology sessions for a client group of dancers and non-dancers over age 50. The mission is to help the older generation to improve their health and wellbeing alongside learning basic technology skills. The project will run from 13 th September nd November 2011 and the project team will consist of a project manager, consultant, dance artist and technology specialist who will work hard to bring all aspects of the project together to make it successful. Mission statement: the project organisation holds strong values that dance is for everyone, no matter what their age or disability. There is a widening gap between elderly people and the rest of the world, and the aims of this project are to close this gap using two activities: dance and technology. Project Aims: To improve the health and wellbeing of the client group To broaden the client groups knowledge on new technologies which they may have previously felt intimidated by Project Objectives: Get at least 30 people to attend each section of the project Encourage the client group to be more regularly proactive Raise awareness of dance alongside technology Improve the participants basic understanding of computer skills (only valid to participants of the ICT project section) Project Details and Company Infrastructure 1

2 Project Manager Consultant Dance Artist Technology Specialist The project manager will supervise the whole project, ensuring all aims and objectives are met and solving problems which may occur (Emma Bentley) The consultant will assist the project manager in designing and running the project, using their knowledge and expertise to make sure the project is successful (Michael Rushe Active Generation leader from Chorley City Council) The dance artist will provide and video record weekly creative dance sessions within the main project as well as supporting most other aspects of the project (e.g. set up, pilot project, outcome, audit, review, closure) The technology specialist will provide weekly ICT sessions within the main project as well as supporting most other aspects of the project (e.g. set up, pilot project, outcome, audit, review, closure) There will be creative sessions for 7 weeks of the project followed by 4 weeks of technology sessions. The participants of the project can take part in both parts of the project or chose the section which they prefer (dance or technology) The project will be based in Chorley Community Hall. I need multiple resources for my project which the hall has a studio space which could be used for creative dance sessions and an ICT suite. The project will be mainly funded be external resources will which be later explained in the proposal. Project Rationale and Feasibility I believe there is a growing need for the older generation to have a basic understanding of technology, especially with the continuing new advances in the world today. Every day life is becoming technology based: communication, shopping, reading and even a simple trip to the doctors. My project aims to develop technology skills alongside improving the health and wellbeing of over 50 s in Chorley. I have chosen this client group for my project as I believe that their quality of life can sometimes be considered unimportant compared with other factors such as children in education. 2

3 accessed 10 th November _Summary_of_key_findings.pdf, accessed 10 th November 2010 I researched elderly people with regards to fitness and technology and found the results similar (see figure 1). I think this is an issue which needs addressing as most people are unaware of the struggles which elderly people have: loneliness, a lack of physical activity and social and digital exclusion. Bringing in more social activities aimed at elderly people would resolve these problems. Although I only have a small project aimed at this issue I believe that it could be the beginning of something new for elderly people. The project is 7 weeks of creative dance sessions followed by 4 weeks of technology sessions, focusing on over 55 s in Chorley. The creative sessions will run from 13 th September-25 th October and the technology sessions will run from 1 st November-22 nd November. I have chosen this time period as it is past the summer holidays and families will be back into their normal routine, leaving the elderly with less social activities. I believe the project will be beneficial for them as I found from research that a majority of older people have a lot of free time but often feel lonely and excluded from the world. I chose to operate in Chorley as it is close to Buckshaw Retirement Village, meaning that there is a higher number of a readily available client group. The residents of the village already take part in practical activities so creative dance sessions would fit alongside this. I also think it would be beneficial for the client group to be creative and artistic as well as active as this would engage more parts of the brain. I have also chosen this area as Chorley City Council have a current ongoing campaign called Active Generation which my consultant leads and my project is partnered with. This campaign targets over 50 s in joining physical activities such as team sports, exercise classes and health walks but there are no dance activities offered. Through the partnership the project can be promoted to a larger database of people. I trust that because my project is partnered with the campaign my project is more guaranteed to be successful. For the technology side of the project I would need to ensure that the computers in the ICT suite have the software needed to create a dance for camera. This would be Microsoft Movie Maker 2.1 or Apple imovie (depending on the computer model) as it is free and it is also easy to use for beginners. 3

4 Problems which may occur: No one takes interest in the project No one turns up Competition How to resolve them: Generate interest by having 3 meetings at Buckshaw Retirement Village to talk about the benefits of health and wellbeing through dance and modern outlooks through ICT. Advertise through posters and the Active Generation database. Lightly rely on word of mouth through consultant. There are physical activities offered for over 50 s but none are dance related. There are ICT/technology classes offered over England for elderly people through Age UK, however none of these have a specific focus or are dance related. Resource Management: Activities, Timescales and Personnel The overall project will run from 1 st August nd December 2011 and consists of 7 key stages (set up, pilot project, main project, outcome, audit, review and closure). There are 4 members of staff involved: project manager, consultant, dance artist and technology specialist. All staff will report directly to the project manager as well as working collaboratively with each other, partners and funders. SEE GANTT CHART AND RESOURCE CHART Resource Management: Costings and Funding The total cost of the project is 12,927. As there are 4 members of staff on the project wages are a key expense, even with consultant fees being paid in kind. There are no major issues when expenditure happens as funding will be received as different times throughout the project, however if there is any extra expenditure in the last 3 weeks of the project (from 05/12/11) this could be problem as there is no income. I will apply for funding through four funding bodies (Tesco Charity Trust, Arts Council England, Maurice Wohl Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation) as there is a higher possibility I will receive funding for smaller amounts. I will also raise capital (16.7% of the overall cost) through charging 7 for the pilot project, 5 for classes and charging 5 for ticket sales during the outcome. I would have ideally liked for the main project to be free for the client group but after calculating project costs this would not be a realistic approach. SEE CASHFLOW FORECAST 4

5 Project Marketing Strategy As shown in the feasibility study, elderly people are less fit and less aware of technology than younger people. I believe that as this project brings these two factors together it fits the key consumer trends of the client group (improving basic skills in a relaxed environment with all clients having the same approach). This project has a unique position in the marketplace as there are workshops for dance and workshops for ICT skills, but these have never been brought together. The unique selling point of the project towards the client group is improve your health and catch up with the world of technology in one go! I intend to market the project by advertising it around Buckshaw Retirement Village and in Chorley, and this will be done numerous ways. The first advertisement will be through posters in key public areas. I will include a sign-up sheet in Chorley Community Hall which will not be compulsory to fill in but will give me a better idea of numbers. Secondly, I will use my consultant/partnership to recommend and promote the project to clients of Active Generation. As the client group for both projects is the same and the projects have the same intention (improving the health, wellbeing and mentality of the older generation) this strategy has a high chance of being successful. Another way I will market the project is using the on foot method my staff will visit Buckshaw Retirement Village three times during the pilot project period to generate interest and answer questions. Prior to my main project, I will hold a pilot project to aid the client groups understanding of the project. This will be a one off creative dance class and technology session explaining dance for camera and basic computer skills. It will happen one week before the main project on 9 th September 2010 and each session will last for one hour. There will be a slightly higher charge for this than normal classes, this is due to the fact that the pilot project is there to generate income as well as interest, and it consists of both project aspects. The budget for marketing is low as the marketing methods are not costly. The only costs to take into consideration are staff wages for talks and stationary for posters. The project is lucky to be in partnership with Active Generation as they can do the majority of marketing through current clients and databases. Using a recommendation from this current project means that the client group will associate the reputation of the project with the already running Active Generation, which has already built awareness in the Chorley area. The marketing plan will be reviewed at the end of the pilot project, as all the necessary marketing will have been completed. It will be evaluated by the number of people who attend the project and what made them decide to attend (through feedback after the pilot project). If marketing has not been successful then alternative methods will be reviewed and used in the week between the pilot finishing and main project starting e.g. mail out. 5

6 Review, Evaluation and Monitoring As project manager I am heavily involved in every stage of the project except the main project, which is predominantly the dance artist and technology specialist. This means that I will oversee tasks in the other 6 stages so there will be no need to monitor activities. During the main project I will meet with the consultant and dance artist/technology specialist (depending on which main project section is occurring) once a week to discuss progress, meeting targets and solving any issues. I will also be present for an hour before and an hour after the sessions to help set up and ensure the project is running successfully. I will ensure that aims and objectives are met by successful marketing and certifying to staff the reasons for doing the project. If objectives and aims are not being met I will use the means necessary to resolve this (e.g. If the client group are not confident in using technology by 15/11/11 I will recruit an elderly person who has had a similar experience to speak to the client group and raise morale). The dance artist and technology specialist will report to the project manager, who will work closely with the consultant. I will be the main person reporting to the funders and the consultant will be the main person reporting to the partner, however all of the project team will work collaboratively so that if for any reason someone couldn t do something within the project another member of staff could step in. The project will be evaluated different ways. These are through the use of questionnaires, interviews, setting up a website and project evidence (Dance for Camera DVDs). Setting up a website will make it easier to disseminate information to investors and continue the project, as it will have evidence, quotes from participants and all necessary facts regarding the project. The project will close by sending a letter of thanks to everyone that took part on 21/12/11. As a result of a successful project, I see similar projects being introduced around the UK, through Age UK or city councils. (2194 words) 6