DREAM - IART ANNUAL REPORT 2023 CHARITY REGISTRATION 1162525 'You get to express your opinion whereas most places you don t, you get to fee/ free and open without peoplejudging you., D aged 16 www.dreamarts.org.uk ## CONTENTS ## Annual Report The Chair’s Message _________________________________________________________________ 2. Friends of DreamArts _________________________________________________________________ 3. Reference & Administration ___________________________________________________________ 4. Structure, Governance & Management __________________________________________________ 5. About DreamArts; Charitable Objects and Programmes _____________________________________ 6. Outcomes and Impacts during 2022-23 __________________________________________________ 7. Express ___________________________________________________________________________ 8. Experiment _______________________________________________________________________ 12. Expand __________________________________________________________________________ 15. DreamArts Star ___________________________________________________________________ 16. Financial Review ___________________________________________________________________ 17. Looking Forward ___________________________________________________________________ 18. Annual Accounts Report of the Independent Examiner ___________________________________________________ 19. Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2023___________________________ 20. Balance Sheet _____________________________________________________________________ 21. Notes on the Accounts – Accounting Policies, Trustee Remuneration, Movement in Funds ______ 22-26. Notes on the Accounts –Staff Costs, Comparatives, Debtors _________________________________ 21. Notes on the Accounts – Creditors, Movement in Funds, Related Party Disclosure _______________ 22. Notes on the Accounts - Reconciliation of Income and Expenditure _______________________ 23 - 26. _Experiment members rehearsing for the 2023 Gala_ **1 |** P a g e ## THE CHAIR’S MESSAGE DreamArts has been busier than ever responding to the needs of young people as the impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt. Recent years demonstrated to everyone the value of creativity and its impact on our wellbeing, and our mission to fuse arts and therapy to transform young lives has never been more important. It has therefore been a privileged to celebrate young people’s achievements at events such as our Experiment Gala where all the creative work has been devised by young people, from original musicals exploring what happiness means to powerful protest poetry. We know those in poverty are 4 times more likely to experience a mental health challenge, and that the cost-of-living crisis is hitting the poorest families the hardest. Hence the importance of our Express Plus arts therapy programme, working in Westminster’s most deprived wards including Church Street which has the highest level of child poverty in London. Building strong relationships is key to the success of DreamArts and is reflected in Express Plus’s 100% retention rate for young people attending more than 3 sessions. They have a safe space to address issues including domestic violence, sexual abuse, anxiety and suicide ideation, supported by our outstanding therapeutic team which includes many who volunteer their time and expertise to deliver the only open-access therapy service for young people in Westminster. Using creative approaches helps to break down barriers and reach those from social and ethnic backgrounds mental health services do not traditionally reach, evidenced by the fact that 80% of our participants come from global majority backgrounds. Young people who provide care for a loved one were among the groups hardest hit by lockdowns. We are therefore pleased that after many years advocating for Westminster City Council to invest in supporting young carers DreamArts has been commissioned to host a Young Carers Navigator. This new borough-wide role will map pathways of support, develop and co-ordinate a partnerships with 11 other organisations, and train professionals so they can identify and adapt to meet the needs of young carers. For example, for schools, if a pupil is late and they’re a known young carer this can trigger a check-in to see if things are OK at home rather than a detention - a small step that can make a huge difference. In addition, DreamArts projects expanded to new groups experiencing high levels of need. Our creative projects with unaccompanied asylum seekers (which young people beautifully named ‘Friends From Afar’) continues to grow, giving them a space to become young artists, and they created and presented their original production at the Institute of Contemporary Art and which features on the front cover of this report. There have been many challenges. Our team has faced significant pressures. So we have worked hard to foster self-care, reflection and connectivity, including regular Practice Development Sessions for everyone in the ‘DreamArts Family’ to share practice, and offering reflection spaces so that staff can process their work. In our first-ever staff satisfaction survey we’re proud that 100% of the team said they felt inspired and that their voice and skills matter at DreamArts. These achievements are a credit to our outstanding team of practitioners and volunteers led by our Director Graham Whitlock, our Assistant Director Catherine Palmer and our Therapeutic Service Manager Fariha Rashid. I am sure you will join me in thanking them, as well as our dedicated Trustees, including our newest member, Catherine Drake Wilkes who joined the board during the year bringing extensive expertise as a senior manager in Westminster Early Help, and Ian Dougal who stepped down as a Trustee after many years of dedicated loyal service to the charity. ## **NIGEL JONES, Chair** **2 |** P a g e _Word cloud bringing together key words expressed by clients across Express Plus therapy service._ ## **FRIENDS OF DREAMARTS** The following members of the DreamArts Family kindly donated to the charity during 2022-23; _Chorus of Angels_ Ronald Cummings-John, Annis Suterwalla _Ovation_ Jon Gyngell Harriet Sutton John Hyatt Mark Bunyan Zaffer Raniwala Asif Raniwala Toni Medcalf Nigel Jones Cecil Quillen Ann Goodger _Applause_ Ed Lascelles Osahon Orchard Naomi Roper Richard Dougal **3 |** P a g e ## REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION ## **Full Name:** DreamArts **Status:** Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO) registration number 1162525 (between 1997 and April 2017 DreamArts operated as a charitable trust, registration number 1070614). |**Trustees**|_Date of_|_Date of_|_Serving in_|_Trustees on date_| |---|---|---|---|---| ||_appointment_|_resignation_|_financial year_|_of Accounts_| ||||_ending 2022_|_approval_| |Ian Dougal (Secretary)|March ‘15|Sept ‘23|_Yes_|_No_| |Asif Raniwala (Treasurer)|Feb ‘17||_Yes_|_Yes_| |David Mumeni|March ‘19||_Yes_|_Yes_| |Janine Francois|April ‘21||_Yes_|_Yes_| |Nigel Jones (Chair)|Oct ‘21||_Yes_|_Yes_| |Sharon St Louis|Feb ‘22|Nov ‘23|_Yes_|_No_| |Racha Mohsen Afiouni|March ‘22||_Yes_|_Yes_| |Catherine Drake Wilkes|Feb ‘23||_Yes_|_Yes_| **Primary Office:** 34 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH **Principal Officers:** Director – Graham Whitlock Assistant Director – Catherine Palmer **Bankers** The Cooperative Bank **Payroll** Willow Pay Ltd, Kingsway Business Park, Hampton TW12 2HD **Fundraiser** Sue Crow **Independent** Albury Associates The Future Is… Ltd **Examiner** 2[nd] Floor 1 Hobbs House Bessborough Road Harrow HA1 3EX _Examples of photography by Carers Express members taken in and around Church Street_ **4 |** P a g e ## STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT ## **Governing Document** The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Company (CIO - registration number 1162525). ## **Appointment of Trustees** Trustees are nominated by serving members of the Board, and are appointed at Trustees Meetings and retire by rotation or are eligible for re-election. Trustees serve for a 3 year term, after which a Trustee is eligible for reelection for a further 2 terms of 3 years and up to a maximum of 3 terms. **Officers:** The Board nominate and elect the Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. **Observers:** Board of Trustee Meetings are attended by the Director and Assistant Director, with other team members regularly invited to share the work they’ve been delivering. ## **Trustees Induction and Training** New Trustees undergo a meeting with the Chair and the Director to brief them on their legal obligations under charity law; the content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association; the financial performance of the charity; and aspects of the charity’s work. Where possible a visit to see DreamArts’ work in action is arranged. Trustees are encouraged to attend as many DreamArts projects throughout the year as they can. ## **Organisation** The Board of Trustees can have up to 15 members meeting at least 5 times per year and administer the charity’s strategy, finance, audit and compliance. To facilitate effective operations the Chief Executive has delegated authority for operational matters including finance, employment, policies (including safeguarding), and service delivery. ## **Related Parties** Westminster’s statutory young people’s services and children’s centres and is working alongside charities and voluntary agencies. We have also been designated a core partner of the **Early Help Targeted Service** , Westminster’s statutory service that supports families in need, and as a result we are commissioned to deliver work including supporting primary school pupils with their transition. As an outreach organisation DreamArts has an **extensive referral and partnership network** through which we share and contribute to the work of a large number of voluntary and statutory agencies that provide a range of services to children and young people. ## **Risk Management** The charity has a risk management strategy which comprises; - an annual review of the risks the charity may face; - establishment of systems and procedures to mitigate those risks identified in the plan; and - implementation of procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity should these risks materialise. This work has identified the need to mitigate **financial risk** by the setting of a reserves policy to cover costs in the event of the charity ceasing its activities. **Child protection** issues are central to the charity’s work, with all staff and volunteers undergoing safeguarding training in Child Protection, Boundaries and Disclosure, and those leading direct work with young people checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Staff also receive annual Safeguarding and Welfare training to keep up to date with requirements and best practice, and safeguarding is a standing item at Board of Trustees meetings. DreamArts is a partner within the **Early Help Partnership** . This is a collaboration between **5 |** P a g e ## ABOUT DREAMARTS ## CHARITABLE OBJECTS Our CIO **Constitution** states our charitable object is; _‘To advance in life and help children and young people in the London Borough of Westminster and other Greater London Boroughs by providing support and creative activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals’._ **Mission:** To transform young lives by fusing arts and therapy. **Objectives:** To support young people to: - Explore who they are - Strenghthen relationships - Develop their emotional wellbeing **Outcomes:** Our Theory of Change provides a framework for the difference we want to have on the lives of participants and helps focus our current work and shape our future direction. The six core outcomes our projects aim to achieve are; - Develop positive relationships with peers and adults - Explore their views, thoughts and feelings - Share ideas and skills with others - Take a creative risk ## PROGRAMMES DreamArts achieves its charitable objects by delivering three programmes of work; ## **EXPRESS** Creative and therapeutic arts projects for those facing particular challenges in their lives, delivered in partnership with other charities, social services, with parents and, most importantly, with young people themselves. _**Express Collective**_ enables young people to choose an issue and a creative medium in which to explore solutions. DreamArts delivers a tailor-made project to meet their needs, supporting them to make positive choices. Projects include _Carers Express_ and _Friends From Afar._ _**Family Express**_ enables parents and children to create, share and learn together as equal partners and form stronger relationships. _**Express Plus**_ provides individual, therapy for those finding it difficult to manage their feelings and behaviours. It is the only free therapy service of its kind in Westminster and enables clients to explore their challenges and strengths and build a greater sense of selfworth. - Take a lead - Be open to learning new skills ## **EXPERIMENT** Weekend Creative Labs enable 6-19 year olds to explore and unleash their talents. Our skilled professionals support participants to create their own work which leads to better self-exploration - from new musicals to radio plays and short films. Experiment reduces social isolation and builds positive relationships with peers and adults. No other equivalent affordable arts programme exists in Westminster, the heart of UK Theatre land. ## **EXPAND** Our leadership schemes expand young people’s professional skills and horizons, supporting them to lead their peers and run their own projects, becoming creative entrepreneurs and a positive force within their community. **6 |** P a g e ## OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS DURING 2022-23 Young participants we worked with for more than 1 day in 2022/3 totaled 407 (2023=371, an increase of 9%), along with engaging 30 parents/carers in our project work. This exceeds recent years and is a real achievement considering that most youth and education providers report that patterns of participation remain in flux as the impacts of lockdowns continue. Most participants live in Westminster’s most severely deprived wards, a borough which has the 6[th] highest level of child poverty in the UK. Two-thirds of participants came from global majority backgrounds, the largest groups from Arabicspeaking communities, and the majority of participants were female. ## **Outcomes** The outcomes of our projects are assessed through our Outcome Star evaluation framework which measures our six outcomes. Different projects adopted varied ways of capturing the difference they made, ranging from evaluation discussions to online surveys and in some instances utilising Outcome Stars. Young people consistently told us the value they placed on being able to **express themselves with their peers** . They were able to **share their thoughts and feelings** including their anxieties and fears as well as **sharing their ideas** which they told us felt especially important given the levels of isolation they had experienced. Opportunities to **learn new skills** continued; for example, the Experiment Performance Company created their own original cabaret show where they took control at all stages, from choreography to writing powerful speeches about the rights of women. Therefore, we continued to advance our core goals, creating opportunities for young people to build their strengths, explore their challenges and help achieve their potential. ## **The DreamArts Way** DreamArts has an ethos of ‘yes you can, so let’s do it together’. We invest in our skilled staff who learn to combine arts-based practice with aspects of attachment, systemic and neuroscience theories. This creates rich, secure and understanding relationships that encourage those who have complex needs and emotions to engage and reflect upon themselves. Core to this ‘DreamArts Way’ is PACE (Playful, Accepting, Curious and Empathetic), an attachment based relational model that aims to make participants feel safe and encourages trust. We believe we are the only organisation applying PACE within a youth arts setting. In addition, our core team are Trauma Informed Trained helping us to understand and respond to young people who have experienced trauma in their lives, further enhancing our wellbeing impact. “It’s time to relax and just be yourself.” “I loved learning about how a movie is produced.” “I think this year I’ve matured quite a lot with DreamArts." “It was good to share an emotion and relate to others.” “I’ve gained lots of confidence and maturity and made lots of new friends.” “I feel safe to express my feelings more. Normally I start a project and I stop going but here everyone is warm and patient.” **7 |** P a g e ## EXPRESS Express engaged 287 participants (2023=319, an increase of 11%). ## Express Plus ## Westminster’s only free-to-access arts therapy provision continued to be delivered in Family Hubs serving the most deprived areas whilst retaining the flexibility of remote work if needed e.g. if a young person had to selfisolate. Express Plus attendance rate after 3 sessions was 100%. This is extremely positive given we are an out-of-school service and families are often facing considerable challenges in their lives, reflecting the value young people and parents/carers place on the support they receive. A greater investment in management and support continued and we worked closely with our therapeutic team to ensure guidance, regular supervision and safeguarding procedures were in place. We saw a rise in issues around domestic violence and by continuing Express Plus we were able to make safeguarding interventions to protect clients and their families. Over 80% are from global majority backgrounds and some have used sessions to help process their own responses and feelings on issues around cultural identity and racialisation. Thanks to our strong grass-roots networks our 45 referrals came from a range of partners including social workers and Early Help teams (52%), Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (13%), schools (13%), voluntary sector partners (11%) and self-referrals (11%). DreamArts regularly contribute to multiagency reviews to ensure joined-up support and we consistently receive positive feedback from other professionals on the difference Express Plus has made. ## “ _‘_ DreamArts has definitely helped me to express myself through art without having to worry about judgement. It reignited my passions by bringing me back to simpler materials, which reminded me of primary school arts and crafts which helped rebuild my confidence from the foundations. The skills I learnt to cope will definitely help me climb out of the tougher times I face again.” A, aged 16 ## Family Express Family Express gives families the time, space and support to strengthen their relationships. Three projects took place engaging a total of 75 participants from 33 families living around Church Street, the ward with the highest levels of child poverty in London. A third had experienced domestic violence and a third of parents had mental health issues. Families mapped and celebrated their successes and identified their challenges and how PACE could support them. Families explored understanding through visual arts and used storytelling to help articulate and regulate emotions, supported by video resources. They bonded which reduced isolation, with parents exploring extremely personal themes such as bereavement, domestic violence and ongoing illness. We learned from our online model the value of offering parent-only sessions which gave them the opportunity to openly share their challenges and successes and explore meeting the needs of their children. The groups also celebrated their achievements by going to theatre trips and visiting London Zoo. “ _‘_ Thank you for reigniting my children’s love for each other! Over lockdown they forgot how to be kind to each other.” **8 |** P a g e _Images from Family Express._ Express Collective Carers Express continued engaging 17 young people who provide emotional or practical support for a loved one. The group experienced workshops at venues including The Cartoon Museum, and with the appointment of our Young Carers Navigator in October 2022 (see page 11 for more details) young people began experimenting with digital photography. This work formed the foundation for a major exhibition of their photography at the Institute of Contemporary Art which took place in July 2023 for family, friends and policy makers who shared and celebrated their achievements. “The workshop helped me step back and have a blank piece of paper to think about how I feel.” Friends From Afar grew from 20 participants to support 40 unaccompanied asylum seekers from areas ranging from Syria to Sudan and Vietnam. A core group of 12 young people regularly attend weekly 3-hour sessions on Thursdays. They consistently praise the difference Friends From Afar (FFA) makes, breaking down loneliness and providing a consistent safe space in their lives where they can come together, feel valued and express themselves. They devise and present new work exploring their thoughts and feelings on subjects they feel passionately about, exploring and celebrating their identity beyond their immigration status and media stereotypes. FFA is shaped by young people’s expressed needs and interests, from timings of sessions to choosing trips to connect them with Westminster, their new home city. Proven project outcomes include i) improving wellbeing and supporting mental health; ii) reducing isolation and loneliness and ii) developing teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. With different languages spoken within the group, movement, dance and physical theatre help them to bond and improve their communication skills. Through spoken word, lyric writing and script writing, young people and their social workers have reported that their English has improved. We reach young people via a close partnership with Westminster City Council, through word-of-mouth advocacy from participants, and through hostels and care placements. Through the trusting relationships we build we also support participants to access services to help them manage their trauma, including DreamArts therapeutic support. FFA participants experienced other areas of the UK through residential trips to Brighton and to the Isle of Wight. In the summer of 2022 they presented their original production, ‘Out Here’, at the Institute of Contemporary Art to a packed audience of over 70. Some of the group shared excerpts of this piece for all the staff at Westminster City Council at their Christmas ‘Live Loop’ which included getting staff to learn and sing lyrics from their piece. **9 |** P a g e Friends From Afar Case Study ## **Young Person K – Supported wellbeing after mental health** **challenges.** K joined DreamArts in the winter term, coming to the project with another group member that he attends City of Westminster College with. K reports poor mental health, has chronic insomnia and severe digestive problems. K has had several challenges this year particularly around his family’s safety and health in Sudan and being in and out of contact with them. He is also attempting to process his own personal traumas around being imprisoned, tortured and the homicide of family members. This year, he has struggled with his engagement with housing, education and employment and not completed any assigned programmes. Despite finding participation challenging, K has attended consistently throughout the year and found a space of belonging and support at DreamArts. Exploring the creative arts, which he feels very passionately about, alongside building relationships with others, K has enhanced his wellbeing and seen improved mental health outcomes. He commented: “I need this space to express myself, listen to other people, communicate, share my creativity. I feel that love and care, I don’t have that anymore, but I feel it here.” **10 |** P a g e ## EXPRESS SPOTLIGHT: YOUNG CARERS NAVIGATOR DreamArts has a long history of working with young carers in Westminster. Since the dedicated provision to support their needs was axed in 2016, we’ve advocated for City Council to invest in identifying and supporting young people who provide emotional or practical support for a loved one. We were therefore delighted to be commissioned to host a Young Carers Navigator post for 4 days per week by City Council and with additional funding from Young Westminster Foundation. This new post aims to break down barriers preventing young carers from accessing support. The post began in October 2022 to: Map out provision for young carers in Westminster and create a referral pathway which links young carers (and their families) to relevant support services and activities available to them. As a result, from February 2023 a partnership of 11 voluntary and statutory agencies have been brought together to form the pathway (supported by a visual tool), ranging from family mentoring with Unfold to the opportunity to go to the Nobel Prize with the Renaissance Foundation. Develop a young carers assessment model that can be used to assess the needs of young carers and help identity which pathway services can support them. One of the main aims of this initiative is to provide the incentive and motivation for young people who have a caring role (and their families), to want to be identified and engage with having an assessment. We developed an accessible, practical assessment model piloted since January 2023 by the Navigator as well as Family Practitioners from Early Help Service. Create and deliver young carers awareness training for Westminster City Council, voluntary sector, and school teams so they can identify and meet their needs. **11 |** P a g e Deliver Carers Express, DreamArts’ flagship project for young carers aged 11-19 years old. Thanks to funding from John Lyon’s Charity, this work will be extended to include 7-10 year olds in 2023-24, as well as launching dedicated 1:1 and group therapy support for young carers. “It’s so strange to me all this – no one has ever identified me as a young carer and offered me support – caring is just so normal for me.” Young carer, aged 17 “It makes me feel like I have an important role to do – to care for someone I love.” Young carer, aged 11 “The Young Carers Assessment is very thorough and compared to other assessment forms is not too long! A practical tool to draw out what the young person really wants and needs.” Westminster Senior Family Practitioner ## EXPERIMENT Experiment is Westminster’s only accessible opportunity for children and young people to create original performances that express their thoughts and feelings, reaching 65 participants over the year (2022= 55, an increase of 19%). The majority of participants are from families on free school meals. Experiment began with a **special puppetry project in Easter 2022** that continued our collaboration with the award-winning international acclaimed theatre company, Les Enfants Terrible. Our Juniors and Performance Company members came together to explore puppetry, from animating everyday objects into new beings through to having the opportunity to manipulate puppets designed and used in professional productions. **Summer holiday projects** proved popular as ever, running in the North and South of Westminster to ensure young people from across the borough can express themselves and enhance their wellbeing. Sessions included work with the acclaimed Shobana Jeyasingh Dance company. When **Juniors groups** aged 6-13 returned in the autumn it was clear that lockdowns and educational disruptions had left many members struggling in a group setting. We therefore spent time focusing on fun and relationship building, developing teamwork and communication skills through creative devising and games. Young people’s wellbeing has been supported through weekly check-ins which are opportunities for participants to express their thoughts, feelings and emotions. Many enter the space feeling anxious from their week. Through the course of the day they get to work and connect with their peers, achieve something they can feel proud of and unleash their energies in a safe and nonexposing way. The check-outs are also structured to encourage the group to share something positive they’ve observed in someone else; this helps to foster teamwork, helps participants to see themselves differently through the eyes of others, and also opens them up to reflecting on their own positive qualities which builds self-esteem. Participants also had the chance to experience **trips to West End shows** , attending both _Frozen_ and _The Lion King_ . The **Performance Company** of 13-19 year olds chose the theme ‘Revolution’ to create their own cabaret. The results were outstanding as members took huge creative risks presenting their own stand-up comedy, solo dance, protest poetry and small-group choreography. They performed at the Sarah Siddons Theatre alongside the Juniors to a packed Gala audience including the Lord Mayor. **12 |** P a g e ## Experiment Case Study B. is 10 years old, and she joined the Experiment Programme early in the 2022 autumn term. B’s parent mentioned that she is autistic. In her first session, B. did not participate in the group, and the parent was in the room for the first couple of sessions. The aim with B. was to find joy/safety without her parent present and work on her social skills such as her relationships with her peers After creating trust with B. we encouraged the parent to leave the room. Although B was stressed, we noticed she loves to dance so we engaged her with movement. B. was involved in the choreography and staff, particularly our Wellbeing Practitioner, worked with her 1.1, recognising a relationship with one person in the room is easier rather than a group of people. Later, in the second term, it became clear that B. was often feeling overstimulated by the group dynamic. The Wellbeing Team used drawing as a self-regulating tool as well as a way to reflect. During the character development session for the final Gala performance, the Theatre Director had a chat with B. to understand how she would like to participate. They both agreed to perform a dog in the story, which was a perfect example of assisting a young person choosing how they want to contribute to a group. As a result, she was given ownership and having a non-verbal character and working on animal physicality ended up being the perfect choice. B. performed to a packed audience at the Sarah Siddons Theatre and said she felt proud of herself and what she had achieved. “I enjoyed learning more about the post-production process and meeting people I’ve known over Zoom in person.” Participant aged 14 “I made new friends that I never thought I would make.” Participant aged 12 “I’ve grown in confidence and improved my learning skills.” Participant aged 13 “I like to perform in front of others now.” Participant aged 8 “She is able to express her feelings and listen when others express theirs.” Parent “Thank you for giving a small young boy who was shy and anxious a space, voice and opportunity to shine! We are so grateful for your commitment and dedication towards these young children. You have helped Rion find his confidence and believe in himself! A life-skill he will utilize and cherish forever.” Parent **13 |** P a g e TAKE THE STAGE 141 Page ## EXPAND ## Expand engaged 98 participants (2022=94). Our Social Media Team involving 4 young people help shape our communications and ensure young people’s voices are at the heart of our messaging. The team interviewed young actor Jordan Nash who starred in the Disney live-action _Aladdin_ and the Peter Pan movie Finding Neverland and told us about working alongside Will Smith. DreamArts members were given insight into the world of technical theatre and backstage in workshops led by DreamArts alumni and former Expand leader Sylvia DarkwaOhemeng (pictured below) who gave insights into her professional theatre career which includes being Stage Manager at the Young Vic and setting up Backstage Niche to promote behind-the-scenes opportunities for people of colour. ## City Lions DreamArts helps develop and deliver City Lions, Westminster City Council’s flagship project to support 13-16 year olds living in the borough’s deprived areas to engage with creative opportunities on their doorstep. DreamArts team member Gaynor Smith was City Lions Creative Curator, a role now taken by Kiz Ayton-Green. Kiz is piloting a new arts and wellbeing programme in secondary schools entitled ‘Project 8’, and we have secured funding from Christie’s to train young people as event producers. In-person holiday programmes have involved over 90 young people with partners including The Saatchi Gallery and The Cartoon Museum (above is an example of comic strips created during a City Lions visit to the Cartoon Museum). ## “I really enjoyed learning creativity is needed in all jobs.” **15 |** P a g e ## DREAMARTS STAR ## Humaira Iqbel Humaira’s passion for expressing herself was clear from the moment she joined DreamArts Experiment in 2010, attending every Sunday and developing her acting, singing and dance skills. She was part of our Street 2 Stage new musical programme performing as the classic heroine Scheherazade in _1001 Arabian Nights_ and was part of the company for _Carnival_ which had a special performance at The Royal Opera House Linbury Studio in 2011. Humaira went on to train in acting at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, has developed as a writer and poet and taken a lead role in Spun at the Arcola; The Guardian review said, “Humaira Iqbal gives a storming performance.” Humaira continues following her dream and received a part-scholarship to train at the prestigious Tisch School of Arts in New York (it’s incredibly rare for a non-American to achieve a scholarship). Humaira is now a Tisch alumni and has received New York’s Public Theatre Emerging Writers Group fellowship 2023-2025. “DreamArts has supported me so much, from performing on stages I never thought I would have stepped on, to supporting me when I was running away from my problems that surrounded me. DreamArts was there for me, making sure I was safe when I felt that no-one cared. You all truly believed in me and my talent, and I would urge any young person to join. The emotional and creative support you get will stay with you for the rest of your life.” **16 |** P a g e ## FINANCIAL REVIEW **It is the opinion of the Board of Trustees that the charity remains financially sound. Income for the year ending 31 March 2023 totaled £346,450 whilst expenditure was £343,078. This produced a year-end surplus of £3,372, leaving the charity with reserves of £57,181** . Incoming resources were up 13% from last year at £346,450 (2022 = £307,557). Our main source of income this year has been grants applied for by the charity primarily to deliver its core programmes. The level of this funding source rose to £262,773 (2022 = £252,043). This includes a John Lyon’s Charity grant of £40k per year towards our core costs, and a 3-year £30k per year grant from City Bridge supporting Express Plus (which has been extended for a further 2 years). In 2022-23 commissions were £63,580 (2022 = £48,972) which included developing and delivering aspects of City Lions, our young carers commission and our work with unaccompanied asylum seekers. Our income from donations and tickets generated £19,497 (2022 = £6,542) which includes a £10k donation from William Jackson Food Group and a £6k donation from Christie’s. Charitable expenditure was £323,712 (2022 = £288,656). £196,451 was expended on Express, £89,239 on Experiment and £38,022 on Expand. The costs spent on generating funds was £18,210 (2022= £18,680) which includes 40% of our Chief Executive’s time and our freelance fundraiser’s fees. Our governance costs for the year were £1,156 (2022 = £3840). Thus, we continue our policy of living within our means. ## **Reserves Policy** Reserves at year end stood at £57,181(2022 = £53,809). We have therefore achieved what trustees consider to be a satisfactory reserves level since the charity has no fixed liabilities beyond its core full-time staff team and is structured to be able to reduce its work if funding is not secured for a particular programme. ## **Supporters in 2022-23** We are grateful to the following Trusts and Foundations for their support: John Lyon’s Charity Young Westminster Foundation City Bridge St Giles and William Shelton Education Trust Church Street Neighbourhood Keepers Fund City of Westminster Charitable Trust Postcode Lottery Awards for All Westminster Foundation Strand Parishes Hyde Park Estate Charity Westminster Almshouses Pimlico Million The 7 Stars Foundation Edward Havist Trust Arts Council England **17 |** P a g e ## LOOKING FORWARD Our work breaks down barriers to creativity and mental health so that young people can improve and sustain their own emotional wellbeing. Our ambition over the next 3 years is to secure, strengthen and share even more widely our fusion of arts and therapy, whilst remaining true to our core vision that **young** **people across Westminster can express themselves on their own terms, explore their challenges and build on their strengths so they can realise their potential.** Our key strategic goals are to: - **Build our fusion of arts and therapy to meet young people’s wellbeing needs, particularly those in Westminster’s most deprived wards.** - **Secure commissions that enable us to reach young people most in need and provide us with key resources.** - **Develop and diversity longer-term funding.** Our reputation for quality and innovation remains strong. This is reflected in Westminster City Council’s extension until 2026 of our commission to host the Young Carers Navigator role which advocates for and supports the needs of young carers, and John Lyon’s Charity making a major investment in this work over the next 3 years to expand Carers Express and include a Juniors programme plus 1:1 and group therapy. We are committed to assessing and sharing the impact of our fusion of arts and therapeutic practice and we will be seeking independent studies of our work, including our impact on participants, partners and communities. We continue to work hard for DreamArts to be a ‘brave space’ where we positively challenge ourselves and embed inclusive practice. This includes continuing conversations around inclusiveness and what it means to create a ‘safe space’ where everyone can try things out, express themselves and grow their skills so that DreamArts can achieve the best outcomes for all young people. Our key priorities for the coming period are to: - Seek opportunities for expanding our therapeutic support among communities hardest hit by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis without compromising on quality. - - Build our work with unaccompanied asylum seekers into a sustainable long-term provision that is an example of best practice. - Build a sustainable programme of support for young carers. ## **Future Fundraising** We are grateful to our loyal funders for their past and continuing support, including individuals, Trusts and Foundations and commissioners. We know (because they tell us) that they recognise the impact we have and want to continue to invest in advancing our work. But we also recognize that no funder can guarantee continued funding at the same level or at all. So we will continue to explore ways of diversifying funding sources so that we ensure our long-term sustainability. This includes support from business and individuals, both those who already know about and recognise the value we provide to local communities and new faces. To this end we will seek to build a network of support from individuals and business to sustain and grow our vision and diversity our income. Please let us know if you would like to join that network, or know of people of businesses in that position. **18 |** P a g e INDEPEND￿ExAmIN£R* REPORTTOTHETRVSTEE5 OF DRE4hlARTS I rw io thEchantytru5teesM Ltt*Tnistlfrrkn2￿￿￿ 31 Re5ponsI￿1￿•s aThdbas150f r•wt rgw*effleN&oltheCtwKk5Ad2011 IIIEA¢ri I rewxtln Fe5FEctoft￿ Èk•lMnawonorthe T1￿￿a(C￿l￿￿ rar*doJl Lty￿r$eC￿ 145¢1th2Adrt n (m•g¢xrt ryeyaThkna￿ i w*thDlrecIKf￿ byme thwffl5s￿nU￿Oe[StCI￿￿ 14DlSXOI oftt Ind*pnd•nt •xarnln•tsstat•m• Sirn￿ ￿￿￿￿eeXCeede￿ bea mentydall￿ed W. I ￿ cthin that l affl q￿ffjed lo undertaKe theexanlnmitEcau*i •naTh>J*eredrr￿tsQITl* Mtuie Of(￿aluedArC(WIa1ts acCo￿￿r￿OrdsW￿￿n01¥ePI IN re¥*doll￿￿ntsta5 T&w￿j tysetykn f30011f*Ad' rrf e acco￿l*dO r￿￿(￿r0 ￿lInt￿)se recuds. or e Kcounts do wt c￿￿t￿theat￿iCabkreqU￿ernent5 u)ncerNry thefotmam cQntentdac￿nts 5etL¥rt tsUEa￿ mta mattEfuJn5kfftdas Ir￿ep￿Ie￿￿In)VorI. td&48F OWAS￿ales no Fh))r. FI￿¢. Ha￿0¥￿￿ PAtsintrtsv Harr¢r ￿￿e¥eX FL41 3EX 191 Page A Raniwala - Trustee The notes form part of the statutory financial statements **20 |** P a g e STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL A¢￿VITIEs FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 2023 2023 2023 2022 INCOME AND ENDOWNENTS FROM Restrlcted Fund Unrestdeted Fund Total Toial Funds DonaIlor￿ am Legacies 19.497 19.497 6,542 Incoming rewrw fvom cnantab activty 248.104 78.849 326.953 301,015 Total Incoming res(xJrces 248.104 346.450 3D7,557 EXPEND￿uRE QN Raigng luryjs 18210 18.210 18,680 Charitabl• a￿1vIll•S Exwess 155.089 41.362 196.451 177.697 EXperi[T￿t 64.970 24.269 89.239 83.148 Expdn 28.(W5 9.9TT 36.022 27.8tt ljher 1.1 1.1 3,840 Total 248.104 94.974 343.078 31t,t76 INCOME1IEXPEND￿URgl 3,372 3.372 (3,619) RECONCILL4nON QF FUNDS Total frjnds brought lorwar 53.809 53.809 57.428 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 57.181 57.181 The fin￿claI staternents we 4proved ty Board ￿Tr￿eeS on ￿ January 2024 arKJ wete s￿ne￿ on ts behawty". A Ranwala- Trustee DREAMARTS MOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 ACCOUNTING POUCIE3 Basis af prèparing the finan￿al s&*tmènts Tne financ￿1 statements or cTharity. whith Is a benefit enlrty urK1tt FRS 102. have been wepared In cordance with the Chantie5 SORP IFRS 1021 'Acc(KJnbrvJ Rewting by ch￿1*$. Statement of Recomtnended Pracbce ap[Alcab￿to chanlE5 wepanng theiraccounts in accordancewth the Financial Re￿rtIng standard 4VICab￿ in the UK and Replblic ol Ireland IFRS 1021 lerrecbve 1 January 20151.. Financial Re￿￿ng standard 102'The Finan￿al RewtbrwJ Standard ￿pliCaLle In the UK RepuLlic of Ira3￿. and thE Chantse5 Act 2011 The[in￿cial slatements ha¥e been wepared u￿le[the his10￿Cal cost conventi(￿. Incom• I IncottE Is re(￿r5ed in Ihe Slatetnent of Financi4 Acbvthes Ihe chatty has entiUenEnt to thefund5. it obatAettrwtlhe incottE will be received and the attuunt can be meawred rdi*ty E¥pendiiur• Liabilthes arerecwnBed ase¥pendrture* SLX)nas IIEre isalegalorcorstrucbve o￿liga￿on C￿nm￿hngIkne thanty lo that eypenditure. it Is probaL￿e Ihal a transferof econLKTYC benefjlswryll be required in settkmentaDd Ihe of the r&ligat￿n can LE TrEasured reliabty. Expenijrture Is accounlea for on an acctuats basis and has LEen C￿$$1[￿￿ wder headings that aggregate all cost rdaled lo category whe￿ costs can[￿t be diredty attDLArte lo parhculai he&iws Ihey tAve been a1￿Cated to acts¥rt￿ on a ba￿S C￿￿Stent with Ihe use of resou Taxation The d￿￿ty Is exemptfrom taxon rts chatita)k actNthes. Fund accounting unrestric￿ funds can be used In accordance vAth the ch￿tat￿e 04edi¥esat disuetson ofthe Irustees. Rest￿d￿l fu￿$ onw be ￿ed for pthicular restKled puttx>ses wthin Ihe ￿)Jects of charfty. R￿t￿ttK)r se when srEufied by the LY ￿en funds are raL%ed lor particuLir reslncted wrwseg. Furthei explanation of the nature and purpose of each Is Induded In Ihe notes to the financial statements. Pension costs and other pOSt￿etirernent benefrts The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme Conlributions payable to the chanys pension scheme ale charged to the Statement of Financial ACtsvi￿e8 In the penod to ￿ttICh they Idate. RAISING FUNDS Raising donations and legacies 2023 2022 SuptxKt costs 18,210 18.680 TRUSTEES. REMUNERATION AND BENEF￿s There weie no ttustees, remuneration or other benefits for Ihe year ended 31 Maich 2023 nor for Ihe year ended 31 March 2022 Trustees. expenses There were no trustees, expenses paid forlhe year ended 31 March 2023 noi foi the yearended 31 Maich 2022. 221 Page DREAMARTS NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEME1￿S- Cok￿lNuED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 STAFF COSTS Tr* average mwinty numwof etry)Wes aullng the ye¥ was as fo*Nvs". 2023 2022 Full Time PartTitne Fre¥an¢e Prolttt Staff 14 12 10 12 24 No empws recelved enKAuments In extrss of £60,000. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMETr￿ OF FINANCIAL ACnWTIES 2022 2022 unresththea Restitea funts Total INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM D(x%*iorBand I￿aCES 6.S12 6.S12 Inixxning Re%￿CeS frorn ￿arlI*>￿ actvity 90.￿0 210.115 1.015 Total 97.442 210.115 )7.557 ExPEND￿vRE ON Raising [L￿$ 18.680 18.6 Charitable aclivitses ExtKess EX￿rrETht S).￿9 25,097 2.445 126.6 58.051 25.366 140.904 65,902 29.251 3.840 Toial 101.061 210.115 2$4.240 N￿INco￿ 13.6191 13.6191 RECONCILiAnON OF FUNDS Totd funds brought forward 57.428 57.428 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 53.809 53.809 DEBTORS- AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ¢￿E YEAR 2023 2022 Ttak ￿bt[￿S othei deLTrtots 26.646 57.486 245 26,891 57.731 231 Page DRE4MARTS NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEME1￿S- COP￿INuED FOR THE YEAR EMDED 31 MARCN 2023 cRED￿OR$.. AMOUNTS FALLING DUE Y1￿H1N ONE YEAR 2023 2022 Trdde credrtLYS other (￿ditO Grant wepayments for 2022r2023 1,422 1.137 8.808 3.822 13.OD5 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS movement in fvnd5 At 114122 At 3113123 Unreslricted funds GenerJ fum SJ,809 4,372 87,181 TOTAL FUNDS 3,372 57,181 Net rt¥JvetrEnt In lunds. Included in the above ale as tsllows" Incoming r•sourt•s Resources Movemerbt in •X￿r1d•d Unr•5tri¢t•d fun¢Js (knetal lund Restricted funds Genera lu 98,346 194,9741 3,372 248.104 1248,1041 TOTAL FUNDS 57,428 3,619 S3,809 Conyatabve netmovemenl 1nftj￿1s. ￿uded In Ihe th¥e are as follo￿5.. Incoming resources Resources MovurEni In expended lunds UrtMstriet*d fullds nerai fund R•strict•d Funds rEr* Fund 97,442 13,6191 210,116 TOTAL FUNDS 7,5ST 311,176 3,$19 241 Page DREAMARTS NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS- CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS- continued A cutrentyear 12 months and prnryeai 12 rnnths corntxn& is aST￿lOwS Nei movement In Jnd5 At 114121 At 3113f23 Unrestncted funds General fund 57.428 247 TOTAL FUNDS 57.428 247 57.181 A current year 12 rwnths a￿j ￿)ryear 12 ffll￿ths c￿bined nel MoVe￿t In furvts. IndLvJed in Ihe &h)ve are as f01h￿". Incoming resources Resources Movement in expeThded funds Unrestricted fvnds General fund Restricted Funds General fund 195.788 1196.0351 12471 458.219 458.219 TOTAL FUNDS 654.007 654.254 247 RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES 251 Page This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements **26 |** P a g e r!K 3Yp DreamArts 34 Grosvenor Gardens London SW1W ODH graham@dreamarts.org.uk f&t @DreamArts www.dreamarts.org.uk