July 2023 Newsletter
As we’ve drawn to a close on our community and educational academic sessions for the summer holidays, the team have been busy with a variety of different events and projects! Keep reading to hear what the Exim team have been up to this month and how you can get involved in our summer programmes!
All Move Project
We are so excited to be involved in the All Move Project with Mencap this academic year! We have delivered dance and well-being sessions in 5 SEN schools across Plymouth and Cornwall to over 100 young people! Check out what Liskeard School & Community College have said about the sessions: ‘Allowing the students to express themselves and to follow the lead on movement activities. Every idea/movement applauded.’
We also delivered movement workshops as part of the celebration festival to a further 44 young people alongside Argyle Community Trust and Bowls England!
Photo Credit : Argyle Community Trust
Laura’s (Artistic Director and CEO) Graduation from The Rise Trade Up Programme
This month Exim’s Artistic Director and CEO, Laura, graduated from The Rise Trade Up programme offered by The Rank Foundation and School for Social Entrepreneurs.
Over the past ten months, Laura has been actively involved in this programme, representing Exim alongside nine other social enterprises from Plymouth. Laura will be representing Plymouth at The Rank national conference in October in Leeds and leading a seminar to over 280 attendees. Keep everything peeled for more to come on this.
To get the full details and insights on Laura’s experiences, check out her blog here. Congratulations to Laura!
Looking for a dance session and are aged between 9 – 16 years? Keep reading to find out more …
Dance Sessions at Tamar View Community Resource Centre
We have had an amazing several dance sessions at Tamar View Community Centre, Plymouth! The sessions run every Wednesday 5-6pm at Tamar View Community Resource Centre, up until the 30th August, at £2 per session, and is aimed at children 9-16 years
If your child would like to join please contact this email address: lorraine@tamarview.co.uk
Thank you to William Sutton Hubs Plymouth, St Budeaux and Barne Barton Wellbeing Hub, Active Devon for funding this project.
Keep reading to hear about a conference we attended …
Social Isolation Conference held at the University of Plymouth.
Sophie (Community Dance Practitioner) attended the Social Isolation Conference on the 5th July, held at the University of Plymouth, representing Exim.
Sophie led a presentation, shedding light on all the things that Exim does and the amazing opportunities we have on offer. Thank you to the University of Plymouth for inviting us! Check out the footage captured. You can hear Sophie talking about Exim at around 2.30 minutes in. https://vimeo.com/843966974/e7f6eb6996
Laura (Artistic Director and CEO) and Kaitlyn (Hires and Programmes Manager) completed their Train the Trainer Community Research Training
We are delighted to announce that Laura (Artistic Director and CEO) and Kaitlyn (Hires and Programmes Manager) have successfully completed their train the trainer community research training on 7th July. This training was led by the incredibly inspirational facilities, Martyn Lowesmith and Stephane Kolinsky from Sky Space Team Development CIC. We would like to extend our gratitude to Belong in Plymouth and Plymouth Octopus Project – POP+ for inviting Exim to be a part of this valuable initiative.
Laura and Kaitlyn are thrilled to have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge from this comprehensive training. They are excited to utilise their newly gained expertise in supporting our young people community researchers, as well as fostering connections among people across the Plymouth communities.
Stay tuned for more updates as we reveal the impactful work Laura and Kaitlyn will be undertaking very soon alongside Connecting Youth CIC.
Chloe (Education Manager) completes her MSc in Psychology
A big congratulations to our Education Manager Chloe, who has completed her MSc in Psychology with Manchester Metropolitan University!
This morning as a celebration, Chloe presented her research into ‘Dance Engagement, Empathy and Prosocial Behaviour in Adulthood’ to the rest of the team!
We are proud of Chloe for completing her studies and we look forward to supporting her on the next chapter of her research journey!
Exim focus on giving opportunities to young people to help with their employability skills, such as offering work experience placements. Keep reading to hear about our latest work experience students …
Layton’s and River’s Work Experience
At the beginning of July, Exim Dance was joined by the wonderful Layton, a student from Lipson Co-operative Academy . Layton took part and assisted in various community and educational sessions across Plymouth with various ages! Layton stated on his time with Exim:
‘Overall, I enjoyed working with the Exim team and helping out with the classes and activities!’
Have a read of Layton’s blog here.
Exim were also joined towards the end of July by the brilliant River, a Stoke Damerel Community College student. They have been involved in Exim’s various Educational and Community sessions across Plymouth and have also been helping us out in the office at Oxford House Creative Hub!
What River said about their time with Exim:
‘I have enjoyed working with the staff and students and appreciate everything that they have done and all of the support that they have given me.’
Have a read of River’s blog here.
West Country Women Awards – Anneliese (Strategic Operations Lead)
Thrilled to have Anneliese, Strategic Operations Lead, attending The West Country Women Awards last week at The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
Did you know that Exim has been nominated for three awards this year: The Small Business of the Year award. Our Artistic Director and CEO has been nominated for: Inspirational Leader Award and The Women in Arts and Culture Award. We feel honoured and grateful for the recognition!
Photo Credit: West Country Women Awards
Onto our exciting new Educational Promo …
Exim Educational Promo – Exim Dance in Education
Exim Dance is thrilled to release our brand new education promo, which you can watch by clicking here. It has been beautifully captured by the talented Dajain Daley.
This video showcases just a glimpse of the wonderful educational work our organisation is currently involved in across Cornwall and Plymouth.
Did you know that Exim Dance provides educational programmes through schools, teacher CPD programmes, as well as our alternative provision programmes such as Home Education and Creative Education. We are passionate about providing diverse and engaging learning experiences.
If you want to know more or if you’re interested in engaging Exim for educational work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, by either calling 07864168663 or emailing our Education Manager, chloe@eximdance.org.uk.
West End Carnival Parade – Saturday 26th August
Want to take part in a community event? Keep reading to find our more about the upcoming West End Carnival Parade …
Come and join the West End Carnival Parade this summer on Saturday 26th August.
To book onto the parade, click here.
Free movement workshops with Exim: 11th August – 11:30am – 1pm (The Box), 18th August – 11:30am -1pm (The Box), 19th August – 12:30pm – 1:30pm (The Piazza)
To book onto a FREE workshop, click here.
Learn the parade movement now via our online tutorial by clicking here.
If you require further details, please send an email to: westendcarnivalparade@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Plymouth City Centre Company & West End Plymouth
Photo Credit: Plymouth City Centre Company & West End Plymouth
Onto another workshop …
Susanne Sparrow Plymouth Language School
On July 14th, we had a wonderful group of students from Suzanne Sparrow Plymouth Language School join us for a dance workshop and what an amazing and energetic workshop it was! Thank you and we look forward to working with you all again soon!
Our Community sessions pause for the Summer
We have reached the end of term for our community sessions, such as Making Waves, Communities Together Stonehouse and Movement For All and so much more!
For the last session, Making Waves and Communities Together Stonehouse combined where they got to experience Stage Combat from Charlie (Community Movement Practitioner) , and Musical Theatre from Sophie (Community Dance Practitioner). The group loved trying new skills and it was a fantastic last session!
Movement For All celebrated their last session by having a Musical Theme session, where the group got to dress up and have a boogie to some musical classics!
We look forward to seeing all of our groups in September!
If you are interested in joining any of our FREE Community Sessions, please email classes@eximdance.org.uk
Onto an exciting programme return …
Young Leaders Training Programme
Exim is relaunching its Young Leaders accredited Training Programme thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund
Are you looking to take that next step in your community dance career and are aged between 16-25 years? The FREE programme is designed to equip young leaders with the skills, teachings and knowledge required to excel in the dynamic world of community dance.
Our accredited course provides a unique opportunity for young leaders to enhance their leadership abilities, build confidence, and develop their artistic vision in a welcoming and nurturing environment.
When: Thursdays (biweekly) starting 21st September 2023. Time: 6pm – 8pm Where: Oxford House Creative Hub, Stonehouse, Plymouth
Take the first step towards mastering your craft and register for our young leader’s programme today, contact us at classes@eximdance.org.uk or 07864168663
Onto an exciting event …
U.Dance National Festival in Newcastle
Laura (Artistic Director and CEO) and Kaitlyn (Hires and Programmes Manager) had an absolute blast in Newcastle for the U.Dance National Festival, witnessing the talent of 400 youth dancers in four amazing shows. It was a truly uplifting and joyful experience, witnessing the next generation of dancers shine!
A huge congratulations to One Dance UK, Dance City and Northern Stage for putting on such a fabulous festival. The dedication and hard work that went into bringing this event to life is truly commendable.
People Dancing Summer Intensive 2023
Laura, Sophie and Kaitlyn travelled to Leicester to participate in this year’s People Dancing, Summer intensive 2023. It was great for members of the team to represent Exim, take some time out of daily operation to train, up-skill and to met new people and reconnect with friends and colleagues.
Keep reading to learn more about our Education Manager Chloe …
Meet the Team – Chloe Brown (Education Manager)
Up first is Chloe, our Education Manager discussing her role within Exim Dance over the past 7 years, the breadth of our educational programmes as well as her passion to use dance as a tool for social and pedagogical change!
To get the full insights into Chloe’s role and experiences, check out her blog here.
We Are Hiring
Exim Dance are currently looking to widen our team of assistant and lead community movement practitioners, to support us facilitating working with children, young people and adults across our community and education programmes across Plymouth and the surrounding areas.
Full job specification here.
For an Informal Chat and if you are are thinking about applying but have questions then get in contact with our Artistic Director and CEO, Laura Nightingale: laura@eximdance.org.uk
Deadline for applications: Friday 18th August
Interview Dates/Practical Workshops: Friday 25th August
Start date: October 2023
