A vSpecial Moment!

By Jack Welch

Volunteer Press Officer

Jack shakes hands with Alan Knott, DYA Chairman
and Trustee, at exhibition opening.

Jack Welch, a fellow volunteer of the Dorset Young Remembers, has recently been awarded a new position in the vInspired offices. Until August 2013, he will serve as a new member of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) which helps create and make important decisions in all aspects which affect young people volunteering in their communities in the present day. It is a very exciting prospect as he will now be able to support the new and upcoming projects (including our new successor to the Dorset Young Remembers, to be revealed soon!) and others across the county. As well as this, he has completed an application for the v100 certificate, in which volunteers who give over 100 hours of their time can apply for the award, and has agreed to share his response to the ways in which he has benefited from working over a year in the exciting project: 

Please describe the volunteering you have carried out for this award

For the past year I have been principally involved in a Heritage Lottery funded project known as the Dorset Young Remembers. This has largely come as a result from an upcoming 70th anniversary of our main youth services body, the Dorset Youth Association. This project has looked at the importance of youth clubs past and present for young people and investigates the scale which many projects offer different opportunities. For this, I have been a lead volunteer in securing the funding for the HLF to expand our project, talking with key press journalists to gather awareness for the project and maintaining a regular blog online to describe some of the activities young volunteers participated in. I have also taken a role in interviewing the oral histories of vital members of the local county who have had a direct impact on young people (or being a young person themselves and recording their personal experiences) in the community. After our exhibition opened, I have had a significant role in organising a celebration at the museum, including Master of Ceremonies to announce the order of events and acting as a personal tour guide around one of the sections of the exhibition. As a direct result of the project, I have volunteered in small roles in the museum to support some of their facilities as well.

Please tell us about the difference your volunteering has made to other people or the environment

A large proportion of this project was to explain the purpose and motivations of the project to various figures of the community. This included journalists from different groups, statutory workers who work within children's services and our partners from the Museum, which hosted our exhibition. Overtime, skills in both public speaking and social & hosting situations were developed and I now feel much more able to approach people who I am unfamiliar with. Much of this project also consisted in collaborating as a team and one of the aspects of this was writing for different audience needs. As a result, peer reading and alterations played a key role in this and I have been able to adopt this in the respect I can absorb criticism for improvement later and also be honest with group members when I believe something could be achieved better.

What skills did you use or develop through your volunteering? Please include examples.

Through the research and knowledge gained from previously neglected news clippings and annual reports, both myself and members of the project have met with youth club visitors and people across the community who have made a difference to young people's lives. With their oral histories and giving them an opportunity to share their memories that might have otherwise been unrecorded, they will now be available for the public in the county archive centre. Also, our project has had a direct link to the future preservation of youth clubs and I have facilitated in giving the written evidence on our blog in regards to the effort and achievement young people can make in their community. DYR allows an opportunity for youth clubs to be protected in the coming years by council bodies. Thanks to the success of this project, we have secured seed funding for more young people to take part in an upcoming new project to follow on from this one.  

What have you learned from your volunteering experience? 

From this project alone, I have been able to advance both my communication and negotiating skills with members of the project and others outside it as well. An example is willingness for my own work to be challenged and then improved by suggestion about how it may be improved if done alternatively. As well as this, I have had to pay close attention to the conversations and responses of people during oral histories and make relevant statements which support the topic in hand. In addition, I have gained a new enthusiasm for working with members of the press and ensuring that our project could secure all the publicity possible. Other aspects include working independently and research skills, all of which supported the expected traits for university. If there was perhaps any changes I could have made, it would have been to have given more time to have investigated ways of getting our project even more publicity.  

Hiking to Hotpants, Tents to Twister - Celebration Release

Dorset Youth Association and Dorset County Museum

NEWS RELEASE

10 Sept 2012

HIKING TO HOTPANTS, TENTS TO TWISTER

An Exhibition of Youth clubs in Dorset

Celebration Event Friday 7 September 2012

A special event took place at 6.30pm on Friday 7 September at Dorset County Museum. Over 120 guests attended the exhibition “Hiking to Hot pants, Tents to Twister” which explores the history of youth clubs in the Dorset Youth Association Network over seven decades and is open to the public until 20 October. Guests at the event included current youth club members, veteran leaders (four of whom have received MBEs), Trustees and the Mayor of Wimborne Mr J Burden, the Mayor of Dorchester Andy Canning, the Mayor of Weymouth Margaret Leicester. Also in attendance were Senior decision-makers in Dorset, the incoming Chief Executive of Dorset County Council Debbie Ward and her two young sons and out-going Chief Executive David Jenkins and acting Director of Children services Jackie Last, the Chair of West Dorset District Council. HM's Lord Lieutenant, Mrs. Anthony Pitt Rivers, was unable to attend the event and was represented by Mrs. Lang on the night.

A core group of 12 young people with a huge range of abilities have worked over 1400 volunteer hours on the project. Supported by Dorset Youth Association (DYA) through the Heritage Lottery Fund Young Roots Fund, they have used multimedia to tell the story using a visual timeline, fascinating artefacts, comic style graphics and videos. It explores the simple but important youth club story of fun and friendship, allowing young people to be in charge of their own place where they can get away from the pressures of home and school. There is a huge range of activities on display from crafting to boxing. They show examples of clubs across Dorset, some led by volunteers in villages & others led by DCC Youth workers in towns which have up to 100 young people attending 7 nights a week. “It is a world where caring leaders inspire young people to become well-rounded, confident individuals and the leaders of tomorrow. “said Jack Welch a volunteer with the group.

Jackie Last Acting Director for Children's Services Dorset County Council said “I found it extremely interesting and the young people I spoke to were clearly very proud and very informed about what they had done.”

Issy Eastwood, Volunteer Event Manger, said“It is a way to say thank you to those who have taken part and for the community to see how youth clubs can and have benefitted everyone.”

Lorna Johnson, project worker for DYA, said, “I hope we can convey how important it is to support these clubs so they can run for another seven decades. Many counties around us have withdrawn support for the vital infrastructure that is needed to run them long term.”

“The project and the exhibition have already achieved considerable local support and acclaim.”  Dave Thompson, Director of DYA said, “I am really proud of the commitment shown by the young people and support offered by staff. The group learned many new skills from older members of the community, Trustees, volunteers and staff which helped them to produce the exhibition and to celebrate a unique part of Dorset’s heritage.” The group have also been working with staff from Dorset County Museum where the exhibition is taking place.  Jon Murden, Director of the Museum said, “Projects like this are vital to actively involve young people in the life of the Museum. They can help our local community tap into vital new sources of heritage funding and can fundamentally change our perceptions. They create positive impressions about teenagers and their role in society, as well as showing that museums today are not stuffy and boring.”

Catering at the event was provided by Smart Cookies - another young group of volunteers with a range of special needs, supported by Dorset Youth Association. In addition, the event included guided tours of the exhibition, speeches from representatives of the Heritage Lottery Fund, music through the ages and some youth club games for people of all ages to enjoy.

For further information about the project and event, please contact Lorna Johnson on 07788203003 or visit http://dorsetyoungremembers.blogspot.co.uk/.

The celebration event is on Friday 7September 6.30pm till 8.30 pm at Dorset County Museum.  The exhibition “From Hiking to Hot pants, Tents to Twister” runs until 20 October 2012.

ENDS 

For further media information, please contact:

Lorna Johnson

Dorset Youth Association

Tel: 01305 757027

Mob: 07788203003

Email: lornajohnson@dorsetyouth.com

From Hiking to Hotpants, Tents to Twister - The Celebration - Friday September 7th 2012

Dorset Youth Association and Dorset County Museum

NEWS RELEASE

29 August  2012

HIKING TO HOTPANTS, TENTS TO TWISTER

An Exhibition of Youth clubs in Dorset

Celebration Event Friday 7 September 2012

A special event will take place at 6.30pm on Friday 7 September at Dorset County Museum . It will celebrate the mounting of the exhibition “Hiking to Hot pants, Tents to Twister” which explores the history of youth clubs in the Dorset Youth Association Network over  seven decades and is open to the public until 20 October. Guests at the event will include current youth club members, veteran leaders and Trustees (four of whom have received MBEs) and senior decision-makers in Dorset.

A core group of 12 young people with a huge range of abilities have worked for over 1400 volunteer hours on the project. Supported by Dorset Youth Association (DYA) through the Heritage Lottery Fund Young Roots Fund, they have used multimedia to tell the story using a visual timeline, fascinating artefacts, comic style graphics and videos. This full year of hard work will allow the public to see how important youth clubs are as a place for fun and friendship, allowing young people to be in charge of their own place where they can get away from the pressures of home and school. At youth club inspiring, caring leaders help them try new activities and develop into well-rounded, confident individuals and the leaders of tomorrow.

“It is a way to say thank you to those who have taken part and for the community to see how youth clubs can and have benefitted everyone,” said Issy Eastwood, one of the volunteers.

Lorna Johnson, project worker for DYA said, “I hope we can convey how important it is to support these clubs so they can run for another seven decades. Many counties around us have withdrawn support for the vital infrastructure that is needed to run them long term.”

The project and the exhibition have already achieved considerable local support and acclaim.  Dave Thompson, Director of DYA said, “I am really proud of the commitment shown by the young people and support offered by staff. The group learned many new skills from older members of the community, Trustees, volunteers and staff which helped them to produce the exhibition and to celebrate a unique part of Dorset’s heritage.” The group have also been working with staff from Dorset County Museum where the exhibition is taking place.  Jon Murden, Director of the Museum said, “Projects like this are vital to actively involve young people in the life of the Museum. They can help our local community tap into vital new sources of heritage funding and can fundamentally change our perceptions. They create positive impressions about teenagers and their role in society, as well as showing that museums today are not stuffy and boring.”

Catering at the event will be provided by Smart Cookies - another young group of volunteers with a range of special needs, supported by Dorset Youth Association.   In addition, the event will include guided tours of the exhibition, speeches from representatives of the Heritage Lottery Fund, music through the ages and some youth club games for everyone to enjoy.

The Dorset Young Remembers Volunteer team. From top Left: Pippa Brindley Learning Manager Dorset County Museum, Ellie Garrett, Edward Trist, Amy Bradford, Jenny Palmer, Ashley Bradshaw, Jack Welch, Douglas Barrett, Bottom left: Rosie Silk, Lorna Johnson DYA project worker, Charlotte Johnson, Lee Burnett, Liz Silk adult volunteer.

 

Jack Welch young history volunteer showing Dorset Youth Association Trustee Allen Knott around the exhibition on DYA youth clubs.

For further media information, please contact:

Lorna Johnson

Dorset Youth Association

Tel: 01305 757027

Mob: 07788203003

Email: lornajohnson@dorsetyouth.com

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 4

Last Impressions

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Edward tries his hardest to get
the technology working.

                             

Wally Gundry's (DYA VP) hiking stick, called Dino, 
hung above the timeline

The group at DYR faced their last hurdles today, as the finishing touches and final fittings took place to get the exhibition in healthy shape, and we brace ourselves for the opening that was to take place on Saturday. But, today was a special occasion for more reason than the one. Dorset was today one of the host towns for the ongoing Olympic torch relay across the country, and huge anticipation was building as the museum was crowded with visitors and foreign students. They could learn a lot from the exciting "Our Sporting Life" exhibition detailing Dorset Olympic athletes through the decades.  It was just a taste of what a busy day could present for visitors of  our exhibition.

As the fixtures and fittings got underway, Lee assisted Pippa in putting together a small box, decorated with fabric to support some of the smaller objects, as well as give an extra boost of colour inside the cabinet. Edward, Ashley and t he museum technician Ken were having great difficulty in their Go-Kart features, as button sender and its television recipient were just not mixing very well together. There was much moving around of the small vehicle as they tried their best to ensure that the interactive features could actually be interactive.We were grateful for their patience! 

On the other side of the room, Jack, Liz and Rosie were stationed on a table full to the brim of paper, bric-a-brac and laptops. It was going to be challenge for them to make the best of the confined space they were working in, as well as making the best of the computers available. Problems soon unfolded as the press release both Jack and Liz worked on was noticeably absent from the laptop they were on! Contingency plans had to be made and both volunteers soon found themselves assisting Lee in putting together the adhesive lining on the wall for our magnets. This was to prepare the feature where visitors, young and old, can write their memories of youth club days and stick it on the wall for everyone to see. It soon proved more difficult than we first thought and the lining soon started disagreeing with its handlers. No wonder Pippa said it had a life of its own! This, like many other things had to be measured precisely to avoid wonky measurements or a sloppy appearance afterwards.

Inspecting positions for the comic
boards.

Later on, and just in time for lunch, the Olympic torch made its historic appearance in the high street of Dorchester. It was a buzzy atmosphere, in spite of the hostile weather conditions. A large crowd of people came to see the handover of one torch to another. It was back to business. Liz and Jack were at last able to finish the elusive press release, as well as adding a couple of blog posts on top of that. The labels were all cut out and ready to take their positions. Some other members came after their school day to prepare the positions of the comic boards on the walls.

We think we are ready and now all eyes turned to the opening on Saturday...

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 3

Cutting for the Final Edit

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Amy and Lee measure out the precise
measurements for timeline fittings.

With the group reduced in numbers to their technical and visual crew, it was time to sit in the hotseat of DYR's first taste as film editors. The task would not be easy. A visit to the Dorset Centre for Educational Technology (DCET) on the Marabout Industrial Estate was in order. When the place was at last found (after some confusion on its tucked away location), the team got to grips with the experts who knew how to ensure that the clip stays fast paced, as well as making it an enjoyable experience for the visitors. The two attendees, Edward and Lee, found this a very interesting experience and saw just how technology can make a significant impact on ways of looking at films. As Edward himself said, "It was interesting to see a proper editor at work and it was really helpful to have input from somebody who it is more knowledgeable and knows where to make cuts." Be the judges for yourself, as you could be one of the visitors who sits in the driving seat and watch our new and improved karting video. The team now feel confident enough to try and edit the next film themselves on the Mac.

(From left) Amy, Edward and Philippa with a mock-up
of one of two posters outside the museum.

Back at our base, Lee was also busy for much of the morning arranging final labels and object positions in the cabinets. The television was ready to be set above the Go-Kart. We couldn't have done it without the professional brilliance of our museum technician  Ken. So thank you to them! Edward returned and continued with his work on the black box hoping to make a button on the kart interact with the television to start the film. One small sigh of relief can be had in that the musuem has a music license for any songs we wish to choose for the slide show edit. This is a satisfying result so now the group can select any music that will blend in best with the photos. 

During lunch, Pippa came with the rush announcement that the window advertising display had to be placed inside the museum front window. There was no time to wait , as Pippa informed the group the printers had put us on hold for a few days so we could get our area ready. Phillipa and Amy, our knowledgeable museum guides, helped Edward paste our brand new posters for the public to look at. Come and see the result yourself, as the team at DYR were surprised to see the supersized results looking so impressive on the front of the museum for all the high street to see. With two days to go now, the final lap has now been reached to make the finishing touches for the big reveal on Saturday. It's looking promising!

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 2

The Writing's on the Board

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Boards at last! Lee, Edward and Rosie
unwrap the biggest presents
yet.

Pippa oversees the cabinet display is
just right.

After yesterday's chaotic spell of getting the general preparation of the exhibition ready, the team at DYR found it best that the groups should be much more concentrated and focused on the points that need to be finished. It was a later start from the group that morning and already the largest cabinet was filled with all sorts of eye-catching objects, including a suspended baton and mace, courtesy of our Majorette youth clubs. It was very exciting to see all our decisions now coming visually together and some of the smaller features of this exhibition standing out very well amongst all the bigger displays around. Dotted along the wall, pieces of written descriptions and printed photographs were temporarily stationed for their final positioning. It was great to see the photographs looking so well upon our bright coloured walls and it's all the more hopeful to see their final result will not disappoint. As Lorna made some of the finishing touches to the labels (what a lengthy process!), Susan Blake once again made an appearance to give some valuable vinyl records from a fellow youth club member who managed to make the big time in the music industry. See for yourself from Saturday! Liz and Jack, on the computer, received interesting tips from a fellow member of staff at the museum about the nature of press releases. It's not as straightforward as they sound! After finishing the blog from the last week, they settled down to write a statement for the newspapers that will hopefully attract public attention. It didn't turn out to be very easy and the afternoon was spent in editing and altering the words on just one sheet alone.

The layering of number continues (Lee's
hands).

There was some very positive developments during the day and the group had now finally received the blown up posters, after those many tiring weeks it took to produce at Routes. The result turned out to be very impressive and credit must go to Edward, who was largely the one who spent most of the hours putting in the manual elbow-grease to see that they were finished. Talking about the process overall, he commented "It's absolutely marvelous to see the end result. It was difficult with all the changes we had to make, but it was worth it in the end." Later on during the day, the television was at last ready to attach onto the wall, unfortunately this came at a heavy price with the loud drilling disturbing the next exhibition and not well liked by some of our volunteers. To round off the day, Izzy and Eliza came round to decorate our display cabinets and though it was just as nerve-wracking to meet our deadlines, the day was much more relaxed than some others.

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 2, Day 1

In the Fast Lane

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Edward and Jenny pose with the
cheque.

Lee, our kart designer,
stands near our
new fixture. Zoom!

After the weekend we braced ourselves for an action packed week ahead.  First task however was to welcome the staff from Clay Pigeon Kart Club where Jenson Button learnt his trade. Our static kart with a video screen is the most interactive part of the exhibition. It was fascinating to see the pace at which Lee and his colleague put the kart together so quickly. Before anybody had a chance to sit down, the fundraisers who supported our project arrived and presented the princely sum of £600.00 for all the technological wizardry on the exhibition floor.

Lee and Jenny
question Leslie
Philips.

As Jack was left to blog for the remainder of the morning, the rest of the group set about the tasks of label writing and attaching numbers to our timeline on the wall.  This was a very difficult operation and was left in the capable hands of Lee and museum technician, Ken, as they had to accurately measure the positions of each number on the wall. Liz and Rosie got underway with filling in the necessary deposit forms for the borrowed museum objects that will be displayed in the glass cabinets. We think we have managed to tell the story of linked events and the stories behind the objects. Meanwhile, Lorna welcomed Susan Blake as she dropped off some of her photographs of her days as a youth club leader, but just where all these interesting materials were going to go was very much undecided. After a much needed tea break, it was onto a busy afternoon where the group were finally able to assemble the first glimpses of just what our exhibition will look like!

Izzy and Charlotte cast their eyes
to the cabinet features.

As the group's second stint began, Edward and Ashley were now able to test for the first time how the video clips will look, as well as ensuring their LED functions from the previous week could interact with the screen in front of it. Just how the TV will look above the wall remains to be seen and just how it will work with our Go-Kart will promise some very challenging (and noisy) times ahead. The production of labels also continued, as four of the volunteers (Douglas, Ashley, Rosie and Jack) were taken on a very entertaining exploration of other museum exhibits by a volunteer tour guide. It was exciting to imagine how this exhibition will look in comparison to adjoining rooms. Jenny and Lee then received another visit from four time ex  Dorchester mayor Leslie Phillips. He allowed us to display his MBE which he received  for volunteer work, including his work for Dorchester youth club over four decades. He also gave us a specially made mayor broach to put on display. Saying why he has supported young people for 46 years, he commented "Helping the young people in Dorchester has been very important to me". 

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 4

Lights, Labels and Blogging

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Ken applies the  last touches to the
timeline.

As the end of the week approached, Thursday promised to be an action packed and the most rigorous day, as the team at DYR faced skills from collaborative writing to precise cutting and slicing of the all-important labels. Firstly, some members of the team got to the task of cleaning a paint splattered floor and making some of the finer touches to our timeline. Lee and Jenny were the first members to see that the miniature blots on the floor were scraped off. Our excellent museum technician, Ken, proved his ability in a nice, sharp measurement for the big centre piece on the wall. After the group had completed as much of this as they could that day, Liz imparted her wise experience from teaching as Jack continued in his efforts to write the blog for the previous days. Soon, the whole group got involved and contributed their own spin on the stories for that day - Jenny was particularly enthusiastic with her eagle-eyed amendments and the update was successfully completed.  

Rosie and Lorna get to work on the
boxing glove letters.

Ashley and Edward at gadget
central.

As the afternoon got underway, Edward had received his long-awaited LED light to control the interactive and most technical part of this exhibition. Edward and Ashley worked to get the circuit functioning. One curious feature was an invisible light that sends a signal to the television.  More developments on this as they come. Later on, Pippa put her instructor hat on as she taught Lee and Jenny the fine skill of label cutting.She thankfully had the clever foresight of using dispensable labels as they both  struggled in the difficulty of this challenge. Jon later came to see how the team were getting on and managed to demonstrate a completely alternative method of doing the cut-outs. It was not at all surprising to see that by the end of the afternoon, the team were very confused as to which method would best fit them. As this hectic objective was  going on, Lorna and Rosie were in a much more crafty mood as they stuck gold lettering onto our stand-out boxing gloves. This was much harder than it looked and took much time as they paid close attention to not damaging the fragile stickers.

With the day coming to an end, the group vacated to Routes as they watched the recently produced film of Loders Youth Club and all the fun and excitement that goes on there. It was a very pleasant end to the working week, as well as the day alone, as the group were given a well-deserved long weekend off for all their assistance in  preparing for the exhibition on July 14th. Until the next week, a big cheer for DYR!

Pippa expresses her frustration with the
label training!

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 3

Tiffin and Timelines

Lorna, Pippa B, Pippa D and Liz discuss the plans for
the object labels. SOS for Pippa and
Lorna!

Edward and Lee pose with the early
timeline. See the banana!

With the biggest turn-out yet of young (and older) volunteers we continued with the challenging demands of putting together an exhibition. Ken, our knowledgeable museum technician, showed us how to measure and construct a precise timeline on the panels (no spills with the paint and no wonky lines on the walls). Lee and Edward began the task of plotting the timeline while other teams got to work on the all-important fixtures of labels. The labels were designed by Pippa D, Rosie, Liz and Lorna, following the standard museum layout. The forms were another important element to ensure we could keep track of what belonged to who. We accomplished a lot and we are very excited to see the final print-outs. Meanwhile, Jack covered much of the technical research needed for details on artifacts such as an old Carbide Caving Lamp etc..

Do you recognise any of these
objects?

In the afternoon, Edward and Co. ventured into the other exhibitions across the museum, looking for numbered combinations to prepare a new Geocache. There was lots of laughter as Lee and Jenny tried the costume basket in the Thomas Hardy exhibition room - pity it was only for the role of Tess! After this, it was back to the timeline, as we made time for a Tiffin tea break. It was very tasty as the group polished off two boxes. After unveiling the blue coating for the timeline, which turned out excellently, we then moved on to placing some artifacts in the cabinet. It was a very interesting exercise and the matter of position, page and condition were all very important when considering this task. It was a very productive day for DYR in general and with the designs at last coming together, stay tuned for the gripping developments!   

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 2

All Hands on Labels

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Micheal (seated) observes as Lee paints on one of the
panels ahead of him.

With the official museum transformation now underway, the tireless volunteers came to a slight stand still as the second coats of paint failed to make their arrival at the due time. A change of plan was required. The labels were of great priority and scaled up a day or two ahead of their original timetable. It was time for the volunteers to find out just what professional techniques other exhibitions use!

Lee, Jenny and Jack, made a quick dash to the adjacent exhibition, copied a close template of the labels beside museum property. Able to replicate the method now, it was time to set to work - once they had let off enough steam during their lunch break. Here, an example is shown below of just what a typical label design will look like:

Lorna and Jack begin the task of scrutinising
archive material.

As the group returned to work, the new paint was found to be too thin to fully cover the previous coating on the panels! Ashley, who was primarily responsible for the effort of painting the walls, commented "It was very frustrating. The coat we used was useless and wouldn't spread far enough." In the meantime we set to work on the labels! From floppy harvest ragdolls to specially designed youth club flags, the challenge was set for accuracy and telling details that weren't already available in other parts of the exhibition.

The brand new cabinets. Empty, but soon to be full to the
brim of material.

Later on in the day, the new upright cabinets at last made an appearance. Ashley, being willing, set to the matter of dusting and giving a spruce up of the displays. As well as this, we continued to construct the timeline. As for the cabinets, we decided to go with a lilac felt, however, the correct colour was not available so we chose a dress lining instead. 
A slow day's work, but with much completed. Lorna reflected here that "We learnt a lot today about the nuts and bolts of mounting an exhibition. It was fascinating working alongside the museum technician and the education manager as they shared their expertise. I was very proud of the DYR volunteers, the technician commented on hard and well they worked."

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 1

No Paint, No Gain

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Lee and Pippa moving (by hand) one of the glass cabinets.
The lift is next to them. 

With paintbrushes and kettle boiling at the ready, it can only mean that DYR are now in the culminative stages of the most anticipated museum exhibition of the year. As the select number of volunteers entered the area where the transformation will take place at the tender hour of 9am, it was to battle stations. We started the long process and becoming familiar with the fine specifics of exhibition installation. This included a very efficient lift trolley for the glass cabinets and discussions for the colour of our walls. Much deliberation ensured that we finally settled for the aptly titled 'Carnival Time' paint colour, (find out more when you come to the exhibition)! The pressure was at full throttle in order to complete on time our scheduled tasks by July 14th.

The first strokes of success!

With the selection of paint accomplished, it was left to the brave efforts of Edward and Jenny to venture outside (in the rain!) and collect sample pots of the chosen paint. Meanwhile, a base station was established for borrowed laptops and the necessary collection of objects and exhibition material at our museum HQ ready to put on display with labels. Much discussion fell onto our list of objectives and who was going to do what and when... Jenny reflected "It was very rewarding to see the first coat of paint on by the end of the morning and it was good to see the exhibition coming together."

Amy holds the paint tray as Edward finishes
his work.

A tea break was now in order as many hours had passed. After having a drink, the painting continued as we worked our way up from the skirting board. Much praise must go to Ashley who was responsible for the early stages of our effort. The very man himself commented "It was good to transform all the blue bits to orange on there. It didn't look very good." But as the rush to lunchtime approached, groups formed by Edward and Amy and Jenny and Jack stepped up to fill the highest crevices and finish our first can of paint. At lunch, plans for our exciting celebrations in September and the opening day itself took place, with cakes, scribbles and giggles along the way! Top secret for now, though.

A cabinet meeting takes place.

In the afternoon, due to sudden shortages of the paint colour, our attentions turned to the formation of the timeline. By drawing the timeline to scale with accurate measurements, we could see how the various decades would be displayed on the wall.  The selection of overall colour of the timeline was negotiated to an appropriate shade of blue. 

Coming Soon to a Club Near You...

The final design of the flyer going out to promote
the widely-anticipated exhibition.

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

The planning for the local event of this year is now reaching its final stages and the celebration of county youth clubs is about to begin.

So, why not let your own nostalgic memories of youth clubs' past take you back down memory lane? And let children come and see the excitement of youth service past and present.

From Hiking to Hotpants, Tents to Twister is the grand title of our collective research and from July 14th until this October the exhibition will be available for all to see. It will be a day to remember as the doors finally open to the culmination of this challenging, but rewarding exploration.

There will additionally be a celebration in September. More to follow...

Hiking to Hotpants, Tents to Twister from the Dorset Young Remembers will officially open at the Dorset County Museum from Saturday July 14th. Make a date with local youth clubs' past NOW!
 

Fun & Friendship with Our Neighbours

By Jack Welch, Volunteer press Officer

From left: Phillipa Dowdeswell, Edward Trist,
Katherine-Anne Crabb and Amy Davy
surveying the fruits of their labour.

As the compilation of the final museum display boards takes place with volunteers collapsing on sofas with exhaustion and an encroaching deadline, the team here at DYR were thankful for the additional group adrenaline, courtesy of the Dorset County Museum. Under the superb guidance of our Geocaching Co-ordinator and Graphics Designer, Edward Trist, three young members came in to support the largest presentation of a scrapbook yet! The Fun & Friendship/Activities board was the task. Katherine-Anne Crabb, Amy Davy, who is currently undertaking an MA in Museum Studies, and Phillipa Dowdeswell gave a refreshing boost in checking the content of the board, whilst keeping in check some of our group's excessive 'creative energies'. Their expertise on what works in a museum environment ensured we edited down the photographs and words to a number manageable for a museum visitor.

Not only that, but the girls who attended also learned a lot about the new system adopted for our Mac computer, known as 'Comic Life'. As they twisted, teased and scaled images to suit the template we are working with, they too learned the necessary technical skills, which up till now they had only reviewed. As they left to return to the museum, the group were very pleased with the efforts made by our young volunteers and are very excited to introduce the innovative and colourful display to the general public soon.

Our latest geocache is live!

By Edward Trist, volunteer geocaching co-ordinator

Our latest geocache at the Keep Military Museum was published yesterday. This is the second of five geocaches to be placed in our Dorchester trail of historic hotspots. Our first, along the River Frome, has attracted over 60 geocachers since it was placed in November!

Recently, we introduced our new mascot Sid (the oldest spider in the world!) to our geocaches, along with new historical information cards in which Sid tells you all about each location's history. We hope this will encourage young people to learn about the history of their local area through geocaching.

Our new geocache has already had some great feedback from geocachers who found it within hours of it being put online!

We also had some great support from Colin Parr at the Keep Military Museum, who generously gave us his assistance placing the geocache.

Try it for yourself at http://coord.info/GC3MGNF and watch this space for our next geocache!

Raincoats and Brollies...These are a few of our favourite things!

Open For Business!

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

With the gathering momentum of the upcoming exhibition this July, DYR took their publicity campaign one step further into Dorchester Borough Gardens to drum up excitement  during the the final day of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee. With a barrel-load of goody bags and armed with a shop supply of crisps and coke, the enthusiastic group were ready to sell a range of treats in a vintage Tuck Shop, dressed in a variety of clothes in the Queen's decades gone by. However, little did we suspect when the clouds decided to unleash an unremitting downpour of showers as the event got underway! Thankfully, the group were not to be deterred by such circumstances and bravely stepped outside to set-up the stall for an afternoon of entertainment. As the author G.K. Chesterton once quoted, "And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow."

New Dorchester Mayor, Andy Canning, poses for
a photograph to mark the occasion.

Time to Boogie!

As the afternoon got into full swing, volunteers Charlotte, Lee and Jenny ventured into the crowd to sell the tuck shop wares and hand out leaflets about our exhibition, whilst getting incredibly damp in the meantime. A live band played to liven up the spirits of those visitors who made an effort to visit the garden and partake in some of the day's festivities. At one point the female singer praised Jenny's sensational gold boots as she was one of  the first to step outside and dance. By interacting with public figures such as the town Mayor and the event organisers of the day, the group felt they had a great success despite the mitigating factors. The group raised a surprising sum of over £21.00.  Project Worker Lorna Johnson praised the very cold and tired volunteers for their resilience and the effort that they made on such a dismal day. It was all in a day's work to ensure that as many members of the public know about the exhibition celebrating local youth clubs coming soon.

Meet Sid...Your new local, neighbourhood History Spider



Our young volunteers with their recent creations. Coming to
a Geocache near you!



Is there a certain spider crawling up your long-forgotten memories in the attic? Has it crawled its way into new discoveries you thought long forgotten? In that case, it may just be Dorset Young Rememeber's eight-legged Geocache mascot, proudly named Sid by our young volunteer, Edward. As part of our diverse opportunities for this project, Geocaching is just one feature where people of all ages can engage with history within the local Dorset community. But, just so you may be warned now, if any of you decide to undertake our upcoming historic trails, you may not be alone when you find the capsule to log in your efforts. Who knows - he may just spring up when you least expect it...



"Nice to meet you." Sid happily posing for his close-up at
Routes.



Farmers of the Future

We visited an intriguing farmers group in Beaminster. Beaminster Young Farmers started in 1935 under the umbrella of the Dorset County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, only recently came into association with Dorset Youth Association as dropping numbers of older young people led to a switch to welcoming those from 10 and up in 2006. Since then they have celebrated a 75 year anniversary in 2010 and a proud success of winning the Upton Oil Cup of various competitions and sports. So what has made this unusual youth club so successful for so long and why have so many young people joined in the club's diverse activities? Lorna Johnson, along with fellow DYR members Elizabeth and Rosie Silk, went to find out.

Meeting long-time associative of the club 'Uncle' Evered Way and his great niece, Helen Waybridge, they discussed just some of their fond memories when members of the youth club. Talking about their famous annual harvest suppers and competitions, in which it was always an important event for any member of the club, Uncle Evered said that people always dressed smartly and men turning out in suits and ties! Other competitions such as tractor ploughing, sheep shearing and bull rearing activities were designed to help young people in their future lives as farmers.  Evered, who helped raised and rear animal stock such as bull to sell at later farming markets, admitted that when the time came to sell his efforts to other buyers "it is a sort of a friend, isn't it." For women, dressmaking, fashion shows and jam making were more the order back in those days although women did take on ploughing etc.. The young farmers group also has the distinction of the title of a being a 'marriage bureau' in which members as young as 16 would meet their potential life partners and be married to other members of the club. Evered, who was the first in a long line of a generation of the group, met his wife at the club and has since descended from, eventually  Evered's sister giving birth to the father of Helen and she giving birth to a son when she was 23. With visits from Holland to New York to test out the latest tractor designs, this club doesn't just stay fixed in its one location and there are ongoing competitions to test young members' skills in debating, proving that this club has a wide range of activities.

Finally ending the interview, Beaminster Young Farmers turned out to be a great place to have fun and try fun activities.

Brenda Hobbs and her husband Ellis Hobbs remember Harman’s Cross Youth Club

Brenda and Ellis came and spoke to us about the history of Harman's Cross Youth Club. Harman's Cross Youth Club was run by Brenda's mum, Mrs Mitchell, from the early 1950's until 1968. It was run seven days a week, more or less as they held two club nights, entertainment evenings, Panto rehearsals and at the weekend Mr Mitchell would drive them down to Baggator Adventure Centre. The club would also go abroad once a year.

Ellis told us that Mrs Mitchell ran the youth club because 'she got a lot of enjoyment from the young people and felt that she was doing something really worthwhile.' A youngster in trouble would come to her door because they knew they could talk to her. Brenda said 'they all called her mum so I used to call her Mrs Mitchell if I needed attention.' She added that 'people came to youth club because they wanted to, it wasn't like school.'

The volunteer leaders and young people did everything themselves, they organised events and competitions. Brenda said 'we took on fundraising very enthusiastically by taking part in 50 mile sponsored walks and things.' 'It was the youth clubs hey day in the 50's and 60's because people didn't have TVs, the entertainment was at the club.'

Each club hosted a harvest supper with entertainment and the Director would come to judge and award certificates. The supper was cooked at home and bought in, which usually consisted of salads and cold meat.

The club was all about having fun, they would have rounders tournaments with four boys and four girls on a team and 'the boys would flirt with the girls to put them off and it worked.'

Craft work was of a high standard, taught by Mrs Mitchell and involved weaving baskets and making lobster pots good enough for fishing.

Brenda and Ellis Hobbs with two young volunteers

The project work for the exhibition is progressing rapidly and we have been very busy collecting archive material from the different decades to match our themes of Fun and Friendship, Activities, Sport and Leaders. We are in the process of creating comic book pages with fun speech bubbles and photos of activities as panels for the exhibition. We will also be making slide shows with music of any additional youth club photos to display on a screen in the exhibition.