Questions/Answers

The OPW initiated a cultural project with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Department of Finance to work in collaboration with Dublin City Council Arts Office and primary school children (aged 9-10) from the Central Model Senior School based in Dublin city centre. The IAWATST (Interesting And Weird At The Same Time) project involved inviting children to lead in the organisation of a touring exhibition of artworks from the two Government collections. The OPW's aim was to involve children (from 17 nationalities) in a cross-border project that would let them see how Government Departments work from the inside out and also to encourage them to be decision-makers shaping a cultural project. The children actively participated from the outset - discussing the selection of artworks; debating the short-list; contributing to the catalogue, and curating the exhibition. They approached the project using the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method of teaching which encouraged the children to be powerful agents in their own cultural experiences and gave them 'permission to wonder'. The children, through VTS, took ownership of the process by sharing their views, making decisions and listening to each other, their teachers and staff of the Government Departments with respect and curiosity. The VTS approach was a first for the OPW as it was a child-led process. There were a number of challenges as the OPW team had no previous experience of working with school children. The two Departments are located in Belfast and Dublin so there were challenges bringing the large group of children from Dublin's inner city to Stormont Estate in Belfast and to the venues. Also, different language skill abilities brought an exciting dynamic as the children helped the adults to work with the group, encouraging communication across the diverse age groups and language abilities.

The key objectives of the initiative were to involve children in the decision-making process of central government departments and to actively engage with them in a cross-border cultural project between Northern Ireland's Department of Finance and the Office of Public Works in the Republic of Ireland. The OPW sought out the opportunity to work with partners that were innovative in their approach to cultural projects, education and young people. With its focus on inclusivity, Dublin City Council's The Lab Arts Office offered the opportunity to work with primary school children engaged in learning about art through the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method. The OPW invited the Lab team and the Central Model Senior School to work on the 2016 touring exhibition using VTS method. The children were given access to two public-owned collections and took responsibility for creating a touring exhibition from start to finish. By engaging in a hands-on way with staff from the two civil service departments, visiting the offices and taking part in discussions about the project, the children were at the centre of the initiative. Through all stages of the process, they took ownership of the project.

Making institutions inclusive and ensuring participation in decision-making is the selected category for the IAWATST project. As a central government department, the OPW manages the Irish State Art Collection. These artworks are in over 400 public properties around Ireland. In 2016, for the first time, the OPW opened its collection to tschool children and invited them to take the lead in creating the 2016/2017 touring exhibition. The children visited the offices of the OPW in Dublin and the Department of Finance in Belfast, located in the estate of Parliament Buildings. Their views, input and participation shaped the way the project progressed. The two Government Departments welcomed the partnership with Dublin City Council and the Central Model Senior School as they provided the access for the children to take active roles in the functions of two central Government Departments in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The initiative changed the way the OPW approaches its exhibitions and it will work in open partnership with others on furture cultural projects. The IAWATST project brought creativity; curiosity; collaboration to a cross-border project that has inspired new ways of working.

The IAWATST project opened the doors of two Government art collections to children from Dublin's north east inner city. The area is home to a growing population arriving into Ireland in recent years. The partnership with the local authority and the Central Model Senior School opened the way for the children to connect with the public service. Every child who participated had access to the VTS method of teaching - an innovative way of approaching art that leads to improvement in critical thinking and language skills. The children took ownership of the project and it was evident that their skills and confidence grew as the project progressed. The title of the exhibition was taken from one of the children who decided an artwork was 'interesting and weird at the same time' or #IAWATST in text speak. The children ensured no-one was left behind, including the adults by teaching social media abbreviations! IAWATST involved central Government, local authority, educational institution, arts venues, and artists across the borders of Northern Ireland and the Republic. Cultural activity benefits all and by seeking out new ways of bringing the public into the roles central government departments play, new ways of thinking and working thrive.

The childen who participated in the IAWATST project are from the Central Model Senior School - a primary school in Dublin's north east inner city area. This area of the city encompasses several local communities. It has seen many changes in recent years in terms of the arrival of new populations and also issues in relation to disadvantage and crime. The area is a 'RAPID' designated area of Dublin. The children in the school represent over 30 nationalities and some families are asylum seekers. Access to the arts has been an issue in the area. The children visited Dublin Castle, the Parliament Buildings estate in Stormont, Belfast, and the OPW offices. They were given access to the art stores and the staff. They met the OPW Minister and Dublin city's mayor. The purpose of the initiative was to engage these children with their public services through the arts. They embraced the challenge and shaped the project so that without them IAWATST would not exist. They have taken this experience into their school lives in other areas of learning and continue to do so. IAWATST was an important education platform that encouraged them to grow and develop their own skills.

The Central Model Senior School children continue to participate in arts projects. They bring the skills they learned in the IAWATST initiative into new projects. A new phase of the project will take place in 2018 where the children will participate in additional curatorial roles in the State Art Collection. The School has documented that the IAWATST initiative was important in the developing the children's confidence and abilities. The effects of the project are evident in the school community as the children have become cultural leaders encouraging other children to participate in the VTS method of discussion and participation. IAWATST featured on the tv news programme and in the newspapers. The children's names and their contributions in the text appears in the exhibition catalogue. They brought their familiies and friends with great pride to see the exhibition and brought other children from the school on tours of the exhibition. IAWATST opened up the doors of the public service to the children and gave them confidence in meeting with civil servants, politicians and artists

IAWATST allowed the Office of Public Works to work with school children in an innovative and imaginative way. The use of the VTS system brought new dymamic to the work of the Office of Public Works and the Northern Ireland Department of Finance. It is the first time both departments engaged in a hands-on way with primary school children. Although the VTS system has been in operation for a number of years in the USA, IAWATST was the first exhibition curated by children using the system.

The OPW partnered with Dublin City Council The Lab Arts Office on the project. The Lab was working on Project 20/20 in the north east inner city area using the VTS system. The OPW offered the opportunity to take the project to a new stage by welcoming the children in the project to lead an exhibition that involved two Government Departments located in Belfast and Dublin. IAWATST was a first - for all the partners involved and also for the VTS system internationally.

The staff of the two civil service departments based in Belfast and Dublin were available for the project. They gave their time, experience and input fully into the project. The budget for the project was covered by the Office of Public Works. The school participated by enabling the children to travel, informing parents about the project, and openly encouraging the children to take their experiences back into the class room. IAWATST was filmed and the process documented. A catalogue in English and Irish was published and distributed freely to the public to bring the work of the artists and the children to wider audiences. The video and pdf of the catalogue are available online on the OPW's website.

Yes

Dublin City Council The Lab office is now training new facilitators in the VTS system. The project has been pivotal in showing that the VTS system can be used not only for learning about art but also for decision-making, curating, writing and communicating on wider arts initiatives. The Lab team have obtained funding from Erasmus to develop further projects using the VTS system. VTS has wider applications than the visual arts. Students in University College Cork School of Medicine are learning the VTS system to help them with the diagnosis of patients - as VTS teaches a focused, open and engaged way of looking that leads to learning.

The OPW is entering into a new phase of the IAWATST project with Dublin City Council and the Central Model School. Children will select art for civil service buildings. The IAWATST initiative could be opened up to many other public sector bodies - cultural institutions, museums, libraries and arts centres could welcome children using the VTS system to actively participate in their programme. In VTS the learner is also the teacher and it is generous, innovative and adaptable to all learning contexts. The school is continuing to develop its VTS programme and other schools have been invited to participate. It has such potential for learning for all age groups, abilities and language skills that it can be adapted according to the needs of the learner and the organisation.

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a specific model of learning and teaching. It requires facilitators to be trained in special techniques that encourage all participants to contribute. It is a learning up system, not a teaching down one - an exchange. The initiative is sustainable when people have undertaken the trianing, they too can train others.

Yes

The evaluation document will be submitted in the next stage of the submission process. The Dublin City Council team has drawn up an evaluaton of the project based on the experience between initial discussions in late 2015 to seminar in 2017. The school has also evaluated the children's development through the system on the basis of their improved oral skills, confidence in class, increased vocabulary.

On the basis of the positive outcome of the IAWATST initiative, Dublin City Council undertook training of new VTS facilitators and has placed them in other schools. The school has embraced the project and encouraged teachers to train in the system. The children from the IAWATST project are now in 5th class and they will continue with their VTS programme until the leave primary school in 6th class. The teachers have documented better communication skills, collaboration skills, respect, and confidence in the IAWATST group of children. The evaluation process will continue as the new phase of the project continues.

The school evaluated the language skills of the students through the VTS process. Student growth in terms of language skills through supported observation, inference, speculation, or mulitple possibilities; unsupported inference; detailed observation; simple observation. Answering general question How has student thinking changed? Student growth measure in word count - pre-assessment (average word count 57) and post-assessment (average word count 127.5). Early evaluation of VTS highlighted a significant impact on the children, educators and whole school community.

The Office of Public Works led the initiative. Main partners in the project were the Department of Finance, Belfast in Northern Ireland. The OPW selected the local authority of Dublin City Council The Lab Arts Office as the key cultural partner. The Lab brought the Central Model Senior School into the project. The initiative also involved touring the exhibition to a number of venues in Ireland - north and south - including the gallery in the children's own neighbourhood; Dublin Castle, the Alley Theatre Arts Centre in Strabane in Co. Tyrone, Culturlann Arts Centre in Belfast and the OPW's office in Trim, Co. Meath. Artists were invited to meet the children at the exhibition launch and the children took time to discuss the art with the artists. The children were at the heart of the project and brought their family and friends to the launch in their neighbourhood.

IAWATST has changed the way the Office of Public Works will work on exhibitions in the future. It taught the team of public servants that taking a chance on new innovative ways of sharing the work of the public service is worth doing as it opens up an understanding of the work that is done on behalf of the public but also that bringing new partners into projects leads to fresh ways of approaching work. The OPW is now committed to continuing to examine new ways of working with the public across all age groups, abilities and backgrounds. Finding the right partners is key to success. Working on shared aims of inclusivity, participation and collaboration are crucial to the success of future projects. Taking a chance on new thinking in edicuation systems is also worthwhile. Spending time seeking out opportunities that benefit people who may not have easy access to the public service is worth the investment. Curiosity; commitment; collaboration; creativity - IAWATST opened these doors.