We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ollie Briggs a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ollie, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Back in 2017 I had a good secure job as a teacher of art and design. Steady professional progression pretty much guaranteed, decent holidays, etc But I was moved and motivated by different things. Around this time my partner became pregnant with our first child and that seemed like the perfect time to jump ship and start a new career! Much to the stress of my dear supportive partner :) So this tale is about risk, albeit managed risk. Starting something new, in my case a youth organisation built on the unshakable belief that the arts and creativity have the potential to form structure for freedom required to change lives. When think back to those first couple of years I really didn’t know a thing about running an organisation. In fact, I hadn’t even managed people at any level, so in lots of ways, the practical and sensible ways, it was a ridiculous notion to think that I would single-handedly set this thing up but more importantly make it last. But here lies the thing about risk. Without risk, there’s no uncertainty and without uncertainty there really is no creativity, which in its essence, is about new things coming into existence. I was sick of the education system. I was sick of watching young people be subject to neglect and inequality because the system was too rigid to recognise difference and individual interests and needs. So, I would build something in its opposite image. Something that created space, time, resources and relationships that would ultimately centre young people in their educational experiences. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at the beginning but I had what was needed to start something new. There is no course or qualification (there really should be!) To prepare you for this work. It’s about really listening, asking the right questions, relinquishing power and decision making for the benefit of a community that you serve. The risk is paid off, of course I’ve made mistakes. I could write a whole book about the mistakes but today as I sit and write this, I’m finally proud that the idea has become a community of 12 staff 100 young people every year. Seven trustees, a youth run record label and a unique learning in evaluation framework. We’re collecting the stories that prove the work we do is making a difference. That is what risk is all about.

Ollie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Arts Education Exchange is a registered charity, youth organisation and alternative provision based in Margate East Kent. We work with around 100 young people every year on long-term creative learning programmes through visual arts and music. The young people we work with are predominantly referred to us via social care, schools and other local youth services. Around half of the young people we work with are living in care and all have been negatively impacted and and are marginalised by our education system. Many of the young people that we work we have experienced acute trauma, are neurodivergent, have insecure or unsettled home lives and experience social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Once in programme, young people begin a 35 week journey. We don’t have a curriculum or syllabus. We take a relational approach and develop individual learning paths based on the interests and strengths. The simple shift provides participants with the opportunity to make decisions themselves and that choice is one of the most important things that allows young people to engage with us. We believe that everyone is born with creative potential but that the systems we engage with and society in general excludes so many from the feeling that it is within us. Bow job is to create moments where that innate ability emerges.

The framework we created together focusses on social emotional, cognitive, behavioural and skills development. We look for moments of joy, trust, critical thinking, curiosity and self-determination. These are the characteristics of creative learning and these are the things we need to navigate our contemporary world.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I guess the most important thing that has taken me a while to really unlearn is the feeling that I need to know and in some bad examples the need to be right. Personally, I have used knowledge, and by knowledge I mean intellectual ideas and academic language, to make sense of the world but also to project an image of myself as someone who is in control, someone who knows what they are doing and someone who is an authority. What I have realised over the years is that this does not serve myself or those around me. Where I invest my energy now is in understanding different experiences with other people, rather than asserting my sense of superiority. I’m not saying I get it right all the time but I’m committed to being someone who listens and cares about finding truth and meaning together. I know this is formed through my own personal experiences but also my experience of the school system and the idea that society projects of what it means to be a man. I want to challenge that and I definitely don’t want to participate in those patriarchal values.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?

Right back at the beginning Just off the back of a small arts council grant, I decided I needed to take the big leap and leave my teaching job and that the only way to do that was to run a crowdfunding campaign. So, having only been in Margate about a year, I decided to run a community campaign and raise £36,000. It was the quickest way to meet as many people as I could! I’m still astounded that I hit the target. In fact I went over the target a raised £42,000. It was this capital funding that enabled me to set up our building and equip the studios. Without that big initial investment it would have been really hard to start up. Crowdfunding campaigns are intense and it was really stressful. I had to do the whole thing myself other than the video which someone locally helped me out with. The biggest support was at home from my partner who had to put up with me glued to my phone doing Instagram posts and meeting people in cafes. Thanks babes! :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artsedex.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artsedex/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-briggs-51a61abb/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqYLxYR0vF9Hkg3hpyw5Gg

Image Credits
John Sainsbury