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This collection explores how councils and their local cultural sector partners use cultural services to improve social mobility in their area, from education to skills and employment.
Volunteering for Veterans is a wellbeing and conservation project for Veterans of the Armed Forces working on Birmingham Museum Trust’s (BMT) motorbike collection.
Beyond Brontës was launched in 2019 by Screen Yorkshire and Bradford Metropolitan District Council (MDC). The initiative increases diversity in the screen industries by providing TV and film production training and work placements to young people aged 18 to 30.
Cambridge Junction, in partnership with HighRise Theatre and Romsey Mill charity, worked with young people at risk of exclusion or excluded from education and employment in a newly built area of Cambridge.
The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Network is the national collective that shares best practice and generates knowledge to capture and celebrate the success of the DCMS CDF investment.
Celebrating the area’s rich history of innovation, the Museum of Making in the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site opened in May 2021 as a contemporary space telling Derby’s 300-year history of making.
The Future Curator Programme (FCP) is an England-wide programme to develop disabled curators and create a force for diverse change in the visual arts sector.
In lockdown, when Arts Centres in Stamford, Grantham and Bourne had to suddenly close their doors, it meant that many self-employed artists and performers lost their bookings/work and so were no longer able to generate an income.
This case study demonstrates the economic and cultural value of a portfolio of creative business support programmes delivered by Goldsmiths, University of London in partnership with (and funded by) Lewisham Council.
Creative sector support and cultural activation in Lewisham-based businesses
A new model of working with partners in the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, that addresses social inequalities and increases access to arts, culture and music.
Palmer Park library in East Reading supports a range of students, including learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities at nearby Reading College (run by Activate Learning) to gain, develop and improve customer service skills, offering a way of gaining skills in a real life environment, whilst ensuring that a public library service can still be sustainably provided.
Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEPs) are an England-wide network of change partnerships. In the North East, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums drives the LCEP network in its remit as an Arts Council England Bridge organisation.
Using partnership as a key to supporting better outcomes for children and young people
This case study provides an overview of the West of England and its cultural and creative economy, and the role of the West of England Cultural Compact in this context. It also summarises the new West of England Cultural Plan, including reference to some early initiatives.
The North Yorkshire authorities have submitted a live case study, capturing their work so far to bring together the culture, leisure and sport provisions and strategies of their eight authorities as part of local government reorganisation.
North Yorkshire – Culture and Local Government Reorganisation
Improving social mobility in Wakefield
Julie Russell: Wakefield is a diverse District our settlements are shaped really by its industrial past you know by its coal mining its heritage and textiles. Wakefield has great DNA in terms of culture and creativity, one of the real drivers that we're particularly taking our time around is about skills and learning because actually whilst we've had a history in logistics some of those jobs are quite low paid and low skilled and what we want to do is give people the chance to to sort of be ambitious towards different jobs, higher skilled jobs, and the culture and creative sector is one that won't be automated.
The summer school has been our first year at trialling something a bit different, where we've taken arts and creative opportunities into communities, and if you like try to reach out to youngsters who might not have had the opportunity to try something a bit different.
Emily Ryalls: I've been able to be part of the program both as a teaching artist and as a curator for the exhibition downstairs. Both have kind of taught me how important it is to to treat these young people as young artists and to really like see the value in what they're creating and to understand that this is just the start of what could be and what will hopefully and probably be a really promising creative career or just creative pathway.
Josh: We've seen ourselves like schools and stuff we're getting underfunded and arts is becoming less important for some strange reason, but this is as important as any other subject I feel.
Unnamed person: yes exactly for kids creative side and you know.
Josh: It's not something you can easily do at home or everyone can access so stuff like this makes it um inclusive for all.
Emma: It's invaluable especially the times we're living in now, um finding things to do with the children that doesn't cost anything or is quite cheap is vital really to keep communities going, help with mental health, everything. Gets the children inspired as well you know for the future so it's it really is invaluable.
Julie: We have some great employers already locally some are freelance and craft artists but others are organisations that employers a destination or indeed in gaming live events and wider technology and arts so great opportunity for youngsters for the future. Production Park and Backstage have grown from strength to strength in recent years they were a staging company but increasingly have become experts in the live events industry a phenomenal uh cluster really that now sits in the south of our district.
Jim Farmery: We've got about 20 acres of build space for different companies so we've got a whole pile of clients from big global multinationals like Tate, right down to smaller one-man band Freelancers and and kind of everything in between, but we've also got a research and development space that looks at virtual production for TV and film, and we've got build space for big projects so film and TV projects but also arena shows that can test here build here do R&D, ultimately rehearse and then go out on tour and right at the centre of that we've got a campus for our students so our students are right at the middle of this amazing kind of hive of activity going on around live events entertainment tech and and increasingly TV and film as well.
Johnny Wood: So the reason it's so unique is that it's in the heart of a campus, Production Park and we're surrounded by industry professionals touring companies going into places like Studio 1 you've got um explore which is a research and development centre on the park so we get to do opportunities with them working in the virtual production studio like we're here today it's really interesting it's really exciting and there's always stuff happening on the park so it keeps you engaged. I think it's amazing that the council and the local authorities invest in a lot of money into the creative industries because there's lots of opportunities now for people to get involved in the community and we need that after after COVID and things like that we need more people to get out and and experience the amazing things that are happening.
Julie: The relationship as a local authority we have with Backstage is a strategic one in many ways and we've worked together to bring in funding, and to make sure that funding is spent wisely.
Jim: We've ended up with a council that really gets the creative sector we've got really well-educated council team who can talk really you know well about TV production about shows about theatre about art, I mean they're quite often based here, they come and hot desk here which is great they know a lot of our team it's been great.
Lucy: It's been really good I think it was really good it was a massive opportunity that I think I use really well and I recommend everyone who's watching this come it's really good.
Improving social mobility in Wakefield: audio described version
Narrator
Welcome to the introduction to this five minute film about the thriving culture in Wakefi eld, from Commission on Culture and local government. You will hear how the council has invested in arts and creative industries and those who have benefited from it. The film begins with interviews from Julie Russell, director of Arts, Culture and Leisure in Wakefield and Emily Ryalls, Project Coordinator, the Art House, a cultural hub for the local and diverse community outside A welcoming sign reads, "it's all happening round our house" and "Make Art Here" is painted in bright blue capital letters on the exterior facade. Inside the Art House is full of inviting and modern creative spaces, galleries with a large range of exhibitions, sculptures, and video installations. There are many workshop spaces for the community where we see happy children on the Summer S'cool painting, making, sculpting, constructing spinning decks, and rolling and moulding clay.
During these creative activities, they are supported by local artists and family members. We hear from some of the local community who are benefiting from the project, including Josh, Emma, and a child Lucy. We also meet some of Wakefield's local employers who have prospered under the council's, investments in the arts and creative industries, including Jim Farmery, development director at Backstage Academy, experts in the live events industry. Backstage Academy is a cluster of huge metal warehouses set in 20 acres on the edge of Wakefield, housing a student campus surrounded by a hive of companies. Inside we observe a diverse workforce of designers, artists, technicians, producers, and managers. And meet Johnny Wood, a student and employee. He is filmed in the virtual production studio, an enormous black box interior with state-of-the-art technology, lighting rigs, cameras, sets, and rows of seating. Due to the nature of the film, audio description is kept to a minimum. This audio description was written by Emily Pollett for Vocaleyes. Commission on Culture and Local Government. How can local culture create greater economic opportunity and social mobility? Julie Russell, director of Arts, culture and Leisure, Wakefield
Julie Russell
Wakefield is a diverse district. Our settlements are shaped really by its industrial past, you know, by its coal mining, its heritage and textiles. Wakefield has great DNA in terms of culture and creativity. One of the real drivers that we're particularly taking our time in around is about skills and learning, because actually, whilst we've had a history in logistics, some of those jobs are quite low paid and low skilled. And what we want to do is give people the chance to, to sort of be ambitious towards different jobs, higher skilled jobs, and the culture and creative sector is one that won't be automated. The Summer S'cool has been our first year at trialing something a bit different where we've taken arts and creative opportunities into communities and if you like, try to reach out to youngsters who might not have had the opportunity to try something a bit different.
Emily Ryalls
I've been able to be part of the programme both as a teaching artist and as the curator for the exhibition downstairs. Both have kind of taught me how important it is to, to treat these young people as young artists and to really like, see the value in what they're creating and to, to understand that this is just the start of what could be and what will hopefully and probably be a really promising creative career or just creative pathway.
Josh
We've seen ourself, black schools and stuff. We are getting underfunded and arts is becoming less important for some strange reason, but this is important in any other subject I feel. Yeah, definitely
For kids' creative side and, You know, it's not something you can easily do at home or everyone can access, so stuff like this makes it, um, inclusive at all.
Emma
It's in value, especially the times we're living in now. Um, finding things to do with the children that doesn't cost anything or is, is quite cheap is, is is vital really to keep communities going. Help with mental health, everything, um, gets the children inspired as well, you know, for the future. So it, it's, it really is invaluable.
Julie Russell
Do you, we have some great employers already locally. Some are freelance and craft artists, but others are organizations, uh, that employ as a destination or indeed in gaming, uh, live events and wider technology and arts. So great opportunity for youngsters for the future. Um, production Park and Backstage have grown from strength to strength in recent years. They were a staging company, but increasingly have become experts in the live events industry. A phenomenal, uh, uh, cluster really that now sits in the south of our district.
Jim Farmery
So we've got about 20 acres of build space for, um, different companies. So we've got whole pile of clients from Big Globals, um, multinationals like Tate, right down to smaller one man band freelancers and, and kind of everything in between. But we've also got, um, a research and development space, uh, that looks at virtual production for TV and film. And we've got Build space for big projects. So film and TV projects will also arena shows that can test here, build here, do r and d ultimately rehearse, and then go out on tour. And right at the center of that we've got a campus for our students. So our students are right at the middle of this amazing kind of, um, hive of activity going on around live events, center home and tech and, and increasingly TV and film as well.
Jonny Wood
Donny. So the reason it's so unique is that it's in the heart of a campus, that production park, and we're surrounded by industry professionals, touring companies, going into places like Studio One. You've got, um, explore, which is a research and development center on the park. So we get to do, um, opportunities with them, uh, working in the virtual production studio like we're here today. It's really interesting. It's really exciting and there's always stuff happening on the park, so it keeps you engaged. I think it's amazing that the council and the local authorities investing a lot of money into the creative, um, industries because there's lots of, uh, opportunities now for people to get involved in the community. And we, we need that after, after Covid and things like that. We need more people to get out and, and experience the amazing things that are happening. Julie,
Julie Russell
The relationship as a local authority we have with Backstage is, is a strategic one in many ways and we've worked together to bring in funding and to make sure that funding is spent wisely.
Jim Farmery
We've ended up with a council that really gets the creative sector. We've got really well educated council team who can talk really, you know, well about TV production, about shows, about theater, about art. I mean, they're quite often based here. They come on Hot Desk here, which is great. They know a lot of our team. It's, it's been great. It's been really good.
Julie Russell
I think it was really good. It was a massive opportunity that I think I use really well and I recommend everyone who's watching this come. It's really good
Narrator
To find out more. Search LGA Culture Commission, hashtag Culture Commission.