Goldsmiths Open Book Project
Mission Statement - Open Stage - Open Gallery
Open Book Project in the Press - Information Pack
Open Book Project Co-ordinator - Joe Baden
** Click here for images of the Open Stage Christmas Showcase Production **
The Open Book Project aims to improve equality in and access to higher education for the broad population who perhaps for institutional, structural and cultural reasons would not consider higher education or would find barriers to their aspirations in approaching the higher education sector. The Project's target group includes ex-offenders, people with a history of mental health issues, recovering addicts and single parents.
At the heart of Goldsmiths Open Book's mission is the ethos that every person in society has the right to fulfil their academic potential and consequently, their life potential. Goldsmiths Open Book recognises that equality in education is the basis of an enlightened, tolerant, egalitarian society and is indeed, integral to the foundation of a healthy democracy. It is argued that education is an end in itself and that education should be about knowledge, learning and understanding both general and personal; it should not be determined by an economic imperative. Goldsmiths Open Book understands the therapeutic and life changing nature of learning and was established to support those at the margins of our communities who would not usually engage with education at a higher level, to more fully address their situations through education.
Goldsmiths Open Book aims to encourage academic ambition where academic ambition does not exist and to support that ambition through to its ultimate fruition. The project is determined to fight against all forms of paternalism and endeavours to include its student group at every stage of the project. One of the Project's main objectives is to promote the inclusion of those on the receiving end of provision and not just as token representatives. All of its workers, including the project management will include those that have come from amongst those groups considered in educational parlance as 'hard to reach' and who have addressed their situations positively through involvement with Higher Education. All provision will develop as a result of the empirical understanding of its students and not an alien academic perspective of what the student group needs to engage successfully with higher level education.
The Project understands that it has a responsibility to the institution to which it belongs, the wider education community as a whole and most importantly, to its students, to ensure that academic excellence underpins all that it does. The informal nature of the Goldsmiths Open Book provision by no means disguises its rigorous academic regime; Goldsmiths Open Book asks for no preferential or special arrangements for its students.
Goldsmiths Open Books will strive to inform the broader widening participation debate and that surrounding those deemed 'hard to reach', in particular. The project is committed to looking at ways to devise new methods of engagement with its student group. Goldsmiths Open Book aims to become a part of mainstream Higher Education by affecting mainstream Higher Education.
Goldsmiths Open Book's mission is to succeed by daring to challenge the hegemony of provision based upon a purely academic understanding of its student group and by redressing a power imbalance between practitioner expertise and client experience. It aims to reclaim the concept of 'empowerment' from those who mistakenly believe they alone can offer it and put it back into the hands of those that are disempowered by that very idea.
Open Stage
In spring this year, over a cup of coffee, Joe Baden and Michael Mahony discussed the idea of creating a performance aspect to accompany Open Book. Open Stage seemed the obvious working title for this embryonic project.
The intention was to give those connected with the Open Book Project an opportunity to flex their creative muscle, discover the wonder of making theatre and raise the profile of Open Book.
As the idea gathered momentum and enthusiasm for it grew so Open Stage started to become a reality. This was in no small part through the efforts of Janice Larkin and the Aspire team at Greenwich University and the co-operation of the Widening Participation Scheme at Goldsmiths College.
Using theatre to raise awareness is nothing new – Cardboard Citizens, the homeless charity, and Clean Break, which works with women whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system are just two examples of how effective this can be. We have high hopes and expectations for Open Stage and believe it can emulate as well as enhance the success of Open Book and all those connected with it.
The Showcase, presented in July 2008, was in effect the inauguration of Open Stage; the acorn from which we believe a mighty oak can grow. For the majority of the performers this was a first time experience, though witnessing their keen and committed approach to the rehearsal and perormance process this was often hard to believe. All the work was scripted by those within the project. Politically charged, confrontational, controversial, tragic and funny the work reflected the gritty attitudes and experiences of those involved, making for compelling and thought provoking drama.
From this production a DVD with two films has been created. The first, Open Book Talking Heads, features a number of Open Book students discussing their own histories, their journey to education and the hopes and plans for the future. The second, is an edited version of the showcase and demonstrates, through use of film made both at the production and during rehearsals, the enormous skill, dedication and ability of all those involved. Open Book Talking Heads can be found in full at the top of this webpage and, below are unedited versions of two monologues from the production.
'Samaritans' (2008)
Written and Performed by Sue Rogers
'Mrs Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?' (2008)
Written and Performed by Neil Bradley
Open Gallery
Open Gallery - 18, 19 and 20 November 2008
Utrophia Project Space, 136 Tanners Hill, Deptford, London SE8 4QD
Open Gallery was devised in response to an invitation from Open Book to run art classes for its students. With no budget and no workshop facilities, a body of work incorporating drawing, painting, photography and sculpture has been produced.
(images of students' work from the exhibition will appear soon)
Goldsmiths press release for Open Gallery
Information Pack
- The information pack is an overview of the project and features the Mission Statement, images of this webpage, a student case study and some articles recently featured in the press. In the near future we hope to produce something more comprehensive.
Links
(will appear soon)
Open Book Project in the Press
Smiths Magazine, October 2008
'I'm Spartacus!' - Neil Bradley
FE News, 27 March 2008
'Open Book' - Rinku Chatterjee
FE News, 12 March 2008
'UCU recognises educational projects that make a difference' - Hardip Sidhu
Campaign for Learning, 11 March 2008
'Reaching the Unreachable, Teaching the Unteachable. The labels are holding us back' (PDF)
Univesity of Cambridge News, February 12 2008
'The therapeutic value of education: widening participation in action'
The Guardian - Education, January 11 2008
'All Change at the Top' - Joe Baden
Hero, November 20 2007
'Open Book Project recognised for its courageous and original work in the criminal justice system'
Aimhigher, September 2007
'Outstanding individual contribution to Aimhigher 2007' (PDF)
Goldsmiths Press Office, 23 May 2007
'Goldsmiths' project wins three 'Life Changers' Awards'
Politics.co.uk, 17 May 2007
'UCU: Union hands out £6,000 for criminal activity'
UCU News, 17 May 2007
'Power of education unleashed through UCU's first Life Changer grants'
The Guardian - Education, 6 March 2007
'Breaking into university' - John Crace
Drugscope, 26 November 2006
'Out of It? One Service Involvement Team Founder’s Journey' - Gay Gower
BBC News, 2006
'Ex cons get help with degrees'
The Independent - Education, 1 Decenmber 2005
'Go to jail - then get a degree' - Steve McCormack
The Evening Standard, 17 November 2005
& Will-Self.com, 16 November 2005
'Destroyer of Stereotypes' - Will Self
Time Higher Education, 19 November 2004
'Fellow warriors on very different battlefields1' - Patrick Johnson
'Fellow warriors on very different battlefields2' - Patrick Johnson
The Guardian - Education, 29 June 2004
'Been there, done that' - Stephen Hoare
Times Higher Education, 12 December 2003
'Education was a rumour - you'll think you'll never get in' - Chris Bunting
Times Higher Education, 24 May 2002
'Why I believe we need to divorce widening participation from mass participation' - Joe Baden
Contact
If you would like any further information then please email: openbook@gold.ac.uk
If you are a student at Goldsmiths and interested in volunteering for the project please email:
Rebecca Heyes - Student Development Coordinator, Goldsmiths Students' Union
r.heyes@gold.ac.uk
- We are currently looking for student volunteers who are in at least their 2nd year of study and could offer peer academic support during drop-in sessions for our students.
Address: Dixon Road, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW - Tel: 0208 692 1406 - Fax: 0208 694 9789 - Email: su@gold.ac.uk
-
-
- OnCampus
- Student Marketing
- Student Advertising
- Support
-
- Browse
- Union Directory
- Company Blog
-
- About
- Mission Statement
-
- Partners
- Student & Graduate Jobs TheBigChoice
- Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited
- Buy or Sell Tickets
- Buy Concert Tickets
- Icom Group
