Museums Libraries and Archives Council and Arts Council England to help young people discover their creative talents.

(13 February 2008)


The Government announced today a new scheme designed to give young people the opportunity to experience at least five hours of high quality arts and culture every week. 

The 'Find Your Talent' project will be piloted initially in 10 locations and will explore the best methods of helping young people discover and develop their creative talents and personal skills through direct exposure to high quality arts and culture.

The new scheme is co-funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Arts Council England through the financial support they receive from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children Schools and Families. 

The project will give young people the chance to curate exhibitions and engage creatively with libraries and archives. They will also get the chance to gain hands-on experience of acting, playing a musical instrument, making broadcast programmes and digital art. They will also get the chance to work with professional writers and to attend first class performances.
 
£25 million has been allocated over the next three years to support 10 pilot projects and the Government is now seeking expressions of interest from those wishing to pilot the programme in various parts of the country.

In addition, the Government has also announced £110 million of funding for Creative Partnerships, who will be managing the launch and administration of the pilot programme.

Roy Clare Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council said:  "This is a fantastic opportunity to ensure that every child is engaged with culture at an early age and that their horizons at school are widened. Culture should inform every child's experiences in life whether it is through the wondrous collections in our museums, by meeting authors and bringing literature to life at their local library or discovering their family's and community's histories through our extensive archives. Our aspiration should be that through this offer our children will develop a lifelong passion for culture"

Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said:  "We are delighted that the government recognises the value of introducing art and creativity into every child's life.  Great art enriches lives and helps us understand the world around us, no matter what age we are, and creative skills are essential no matter what career we choose to pursue. Exposure to art is a gift for life.

'Find Your Talent' will enable us to bring that up-close experience of art and culture to children and young people across the whole country."

Paul Collard, National Director, Creative Partnerships, said: "This is a great opportunity to involve far more young people in seeing and making great art and culture. Activities as diverse as seeing an opera, making a film or helping curate an exhibition should be part of every child's experiences. Unlocking children's talents and engaging them in the wonders of art and culture is something Creative Partnerships is passionate about and has a strong track record in doing through thousands of schools."

For further information visit
http://www.creative-partnerships.com/offer 



Kind regards,

Richard Archer
MLA North East
House of Recovery
Bath Lane
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 5SQ
Tel: 0191 269 7982
Minicom available
Fax: 0191 261 4725
e-Mail: [log in to unmask] 
Web site: http://www.mlanortheast.org.uk 

If you are visiting MLA North East offices for a meeting, training, or just a chat, please inform us beforehand if you have any access needs or requirements.


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