The Chippindale Venture and Chippindale Workshop - TrustNews Spring 1994
In many ways the Chippindale Venture has been very successful over the last five years. The Venture has been praised by many people in the education world as a vehicle that is not only providing students with an insight into how our urban environment evolves but also by developing their confidence together with an ability to communicate ideas to a wide variety of people that they would never normally come into contact with.
The Venture has in some cases produced startling and imaginative ideas, surprising even the teachers. The projects have been made even more rewarding for the professional team leaders, by their being involved with children who become totally motivated by the projects, sometimes developing abilities that were dormant and of which the teachers were unaware.
The main problem with the Chippindale Venture is the small number of children that we are able to cater for - over the last five years only 200 children, drawn from primary, junior and senior schools as well as a preparatory school in the private sector, have been involved with the Chippindale Ventures.
To overcome this the Urban Studies Committee has evolved the Chippindale Workshop which takes place within one concentrated day but follows the same format as the Ventures.
On November 9th 1993, a whole year group of 190 children, aged 14-15, from Westgate School in Winchester took part in the first Workshop. Working in groups of 5 with 20 architects and landscape architects, the children produced a range of alternative uses for their 'redundant' school buildings and grounds. During the day, planners were available for consultations and the schemes were presented to a panel which included Pat Edwards (WCC Planning Committee Chairman) and Bill Lucas (Director of Learning Through Landscapes). Journalists from The Times Education Supplement and guests from education and industry were able to observe the day's work and note that the overwhelming majority of schemes called for more leisure facilities for Winchester.
The Urban Studies Committee recognise the merits of both Chippindale Venture and Workshop and will continue to run the two projects. However to succeed we do need support for this rewarding work, so if anybody feels able to contribute we would welcome their help. (Contact The Chairman at the Heritage Centre or Dot Browning/Keith Leaman on 0962 842200).
Apart from the Workshop, we have also been attempting to evaluate the five years of the Chippindale Venture. We are compiling the experience gained on the five projects undertaken so far and the draft document is now in the editing process. The intention is to provide for teachers a package of schemes, indicating the benefit and rewards of running such projects and to interest other organisations in evolving their own schemes.