Four project participants have been involved through CREATE (Cleveland Rape Crisis Centre).
SECOS works with young people abused or at risk of abuse through prostitution. The organisation runs a day service, outreach and drop-in service and aims to effect positive life changes, promote health and social well being in order to facilitate young people in their exit from the at risk lifestyle. Services are offered on an individual basis using a variety of social work and therapeutic methods, as part of the outreach service which operates four evenings per week or by young people accessing the drop-in centre which now runs twice a week.
About the artist, Helen Ward:
I applied for the ISIS Residency in Middlesbrough
as I had already been doing a small project at SECOS
which was about to come to an end and felt that this
12 month residency would give me an opportunity to
make a difference in a more long term and sustained
way.
Working in this type of setting is very different to other residencies
that I have been asked to lead. It is more akin to being an art therapist;
as we really are using the arts to work through problems that most of
us couldn't even dream up let alone have had any experience of.
What I try to give the women are some basic technical skills and encouragement
in using the arts to illustrate their past and then encourage them to
look forward to more positive things that are happening in their life.
I feel very honoured to have met all the women who have taken part so
far and for them to trust me in the telling of their stories.