Crealivity: using creativity to portray reality

Abstract

WARNING: The social topics dealt with in this paper are disturbing, being uncomfortably close to the surface of our everyday society; child abduction, paedophile rings, the child sex trade and child prostitution. These topics are portrayed through two creative artworks; a short story and a pictorial image. In combination they illustrate with shocking clarity how easily abuse can start and where it can end. The endeavour is to impart a message about the vulnerability of children through accessible forms of data representations, given that social research should have the capacity to make these kinds of statement about the world we live in. Both creative works are underpinned by extensive research into the realities of the situations they describe and may consequently be regarded as ethnographic, through fiction and quite literally, through an [ethno]graphic artwork. The social topics of the artworks; child abuse in these extreme forms, are aspects of reality in society which the education system from 0-18years (ECM, 2003) and National Governing Bodies of sport in the UK are committed to combatting. Under Child Protection legislation (Children Act, revised in 2004) Sport England set up the Child Protection in Sport Unit (Sport England, 2001) which requires all NGBs to establish courses and reporting procedures to protect the young people they encourage in to their domains, such as the Safeguarding and Protecting Young Children course (Sports Coach UK, 2013). Thus, the ‘mediums and iconic / symbolic modes of communication’ (Gross, 1974:63) brought together in Crealivity become a means to educate about the social topics under the microscope. An outcome from this paper is to inform sports’ people about facets of our broader society, however unsavoury… a society we all take a part in, help to create, protect and enjoy.