Museum to host Barnet Culture For Youth New Strategy Launch Event
Published on: 7 October 2022
Barnet & Culture For Youth launches a Cultural Education Strategy pledging an artist in each school by 2027.
A group of leading arts and education partners have launched a new strategy to ensure every child in Barnet has access to the arts by 2027. The culmination of work over the pandemic by a partnership of over 100 arts and education members across Barnet has crystallised into a vision where all schools have an artist residency, and every young person can consider and access creative career opportunities.
Cllr Sara Conway, Lead Member for Culture said: “We are delighted to support the launch of this strategy and partnership to provide a flourishing arts offer to children and young people. Access to creative activity supports wellbeing, community connections, and lifelong engagement. We will support local festivals that celebrate our heritage and diversity, co-produce a Culture Strategy and bid for London Borough of Culture”.
Cllr Pauline Coakley Webb, Lead Member for Children and Education said: “It’s great that Barnet’s major cultural venues, the RAF Museum and artsdepot, the Music Hub, BEAT, production companies and studios are working alongside education partners, London Middlesex University and schools to give Barnet children such a range of local creative opportunities”.
Joel, 16, a member of the artsdepot Young Advocates group said: “I think artistic subjects such as drama and music should be prioritised just as much as core subjects. As you get older these subjects, such as maths and science are given more importance and the creative subjects get left as an afterthought. If they were prioritised people would be able to see that you can actually get a job and make money from being creative. Taking part in Youth Advocates, I feel I have grown more confident in speaking to other people about what matters to me and what I’m passionate about. Hearing other people’s opinions and perspectives has helped me with my own understanding”.
Steve Moffitt, CEO of A New Direction said: “A New Direction is proud to support Barnet & Culture for Youth through our Challenge London partnership investment fund. We look forward to working with the partnership on the delivery of this new strategy to highlight the importance of cultural education for all children and young people”.
Sharon Broguhall, CEO of Barnet Education Arts Trust and Chair of Barnet and Culture For Youth: “I am delighted to announce the Launch of our Cultural Education Strategy for Barnet. The strategy will bring structure and cohesion to how the arts and cultural sector in Barnet collaborate to improve the opportunities and impact of cultural learning for all children and young people borough-wide”.
The strategy has themes of engagement, employability, wellbeing and advocacy and places an emphasis on priority groups to include those removed from mainstream education, young people with learning disabilities and those faith and home educated. Ambitions set out in the paper include:
By 2027
- Every school in Barnet welcomes an annual artist residency, enriching cultural life in the school
- Every child and young person in Barnet has access to music lessons, dance classes, visual arts classes, theatre and museum trips
- The cultural economy of Barnet has expanded, the borough is rich with collaboration and innovation, diverse communities are engaged and centre-place
- Young people are supported to consider creative careers and enabled to live a rich cultural life supporting self-expression, talent development, self-confidence and wellbeing
A strategy launch event will take place at our London site on the 3 November 4-6pm with presentations and performances from local young people!
Please get in touch with Blair.Davis@artsdepot.co.uk if you have any questions or would like to attend.
