Three pilot programmes have been announced by Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) relating to the Cultural Citizens Programme which aims to help disadvantaged children access cultural opportunities, including work under Historic England through heritage schools.
DCMS writes:
Six hundred schoolchildren will be given unique access to cultural institutions as part of a new scheme to increase access to the arts, the Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced today.
The first pilots of the Cultural Citizens Programme will be launched in September in Liverpool and Blackpool, Birmingham, and Barking and Dagenham. The programme targets disadvantaged communities where fewer people currently visit museums, galleries or the theatre.
Young people on the programme will be offered a range of cultural activities, such as free visits to local plays, behind the scenes access to museums and galleries, and exclusive trips to world class venues, so they develop a lifelong love of the arts.
Participants in some areas will build new skills, including learning to use social media accounts or being tour guides. Young people taking part in the programme will also be encouraged to work towards an Arts Award qualification….
The details of the three pilot programmes are as follows:
Liverpool and Blackpool:
- Working with Curious Minds, the programme will give 200 local 11-14 year olds the opportunity to engage with cultural organisations, public art, heritage sites and arts festivals.
- Young people will work with specially trained Culture Coaches to plan extra-curricular visits to festivals, theatres, galleries and museums such as FACT, Liverpool Everyman, Tate Liverpool and Museum of Liverpool.
- They will review and share their experiences to achieve a Bronze Arts Award.
Barking/Dagenham:
- A New Direction will partner with Creative Barking and Dagenham and Studio3Arts to ensure high quality arts opportunities for pupils across five secondary schools.
- Cultural Citizens Clubs will be set up in the schools and will help students to design a programme of cultural visits.
- The pilot will link with ‘Creative Schools’ a network of 30 arts organisations who will provide visits and opportunities for the young people involved.
- All the work will be accredited through the Arts Award so that young people will finish the programme with a qualification that will help them progress to higher education or work.
Birmingham:
- Kids in Museums Cultural Citizens pilot will look to partner with 20 arts organisations in Birmingham – from opera to street theatre, orchestras to high art.
- 200 young people – Cultural Champions – will work with 20 organisations, taking on roles of responsibility within these organisations, such as tour guides in galleries, front of house in theatres, running social media, designing an events programme and running workshops.
- Birmingham’s 200 Cultural Champions will be given free tickets to three different performances in the city, beginning this October with the Birmingham Rep theatre
View the press release
