How we will work to make change happen from April 2022 -2023

1: Leadership. 

Culture and education sector professionals will value, engage with and support leadership development across all roles and at all career levels. Cultural sector learning and engagement professionals will be equipped and empowered to influence positive change and innovation in their work with children and young people. Learning professionals will be confident leaders and advocates of arts and culture, increasing the level and quality of cultural education and experiences for children and young people. Children and young people will be supported to develop their leadership, to be ambassadors for arts and culture, and to have a voice and agency to influence decisions that affect them. From April 2022 we will achieve this by:

  • Providing a programme of early, mid-career and advanced level leadership development courses for arts and culture professionals working in engagement and participation that will support the diversity of the cultural sector leadership.
  • Running a programme of conventions, seminars and workshops where cultural leaders explore, debate and make plans to address the current challenges for leadership.
  • Providing open access and targeted training programmes, for education leaders, individual teachers, and for networks of schools, to develop confident creative leaders and advocates for arts and culture.
  • Ensuring there are opportunities for children and young people to have agency as leaders of arts and cultural and to influence activity and strategic decision making.

2: Place Based Developments / Cultural Communities

Place based partnerships are providing connectivity locally, regionally and nationally through ambitious collaborations that are sustainable and develop high quality cultural opportunities for children and young people. We will do this by:

  • Providing targeted support and investment into the Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEPs) to support their sustainability planning, focussing on leadership and structures, use of evidence, diversity and longer term ambitions.
  • Supporting the LCEPs to have a deep and lasting impact in the locality with a focus on those young people who are most disadvantaged
  • Building a culture of practice of learning and knowledge development within, and between LCEPs creating a supportive, responsive and collaborative regional network.
  • Developing connectivity within LCEPs to enable new national and international arts and cultural opportunities, resources and investment to be targeted towards children and young people with less opportunity.
  • Supporting LCEPs to further develop youth voice and leadership to increase local agency and activism in and through arts and culture

3: Arts, Education and Cultural Learning

Arts, cultural and education sectors value, engage with, and develop innovative quality practice in and through arts and creativity. This is available to all children and young people both in and beyond the curriculum and in both formal and informal spaces and places. We will do this by:

  • Providing a universal support and information offer to promote high quality practice and opportunities for the arts, cultural and education sector across all phases, including both the informal and formal sectors
  • Extending our strategic programme for the early years sector for children aged 0-5 years and, to increase opportunities for quality creative interventions, new cultural partnerships and research impact
  • Further developing our programmes that target the most excluded and vulnerable children and young people such as Children in Care, and children with disabilities, experiencing poor mental health and those living in areas of deprivation.
  • Extending our strategic programmes of working with networks of schools, teachers and school leaders that include Artsmark, Arts Award and teachers and young people as Arts Ambassadors
  • Working with Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival, Festival 2022 and British Art Show to maximise their reach and connectivity with young people and support legacy planning

4: Digital and film

Culture and education sector professionals will engage with digital technologies and practices confidently and creatively to enhance arts and cultural learning, to provide access to and interpretation of collections, exhibitions and performances and to embrace risk taking in the production of work with, by and for children and young people. We will do this by:

  • Increasing awareness of the brand and our offer to learning settings and arts and cultural sector professionals and organisations working in cultural education.
  • Developing our digital presence and use of social media platforms to significantly increase our followers and users.
  • Promoting and celebrating the achievements of young people and organisations in the region and making more visible the opportunities for young people.

5: Creative Careers, Progression and employability

Children and young people will develop their creative potential to have the aspiration and confidence to achieve employment in the cultural and creative industries, particularly for those who are currently underrepresented. The education sector, careers providers, and cultural organisations are supporting and nurturing the early stages of the creative talent pipeline ensuring that children, young people, teachers, advisers, parents and carers understand the opportunities for employment in the arts, cultural and creative sectors. We will do this by:

  • Building our intelligence of effective practices and opportunities in the region, particularly for children and young people who underrepresented
  • Building connectivity between the current range of progression initiatives in localities and at regional level, working with the LCEPs, schools, FE and HEI, and other agencies
  • Undertaking specific targeted projects to support and develop events and activity linked to creative: careers, work experience, information advice and guidance
  • Promoting examples and telling stories of young people who have been successful in the region
  • Developing our capacity to expand provision and access additional resources

If you would like to discuss how your setting can be part of our programmes, contact us via this button:

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