Curious Minds

Bridge Organisation 2012

From April 2012, Curious Minds will become one of ten regional Bridge Organisations in England that will support innovative and transformative arts and cultural work with children and young people.

 

 

As the Bridge Organisation for the North West, we will be funded by Arts Council England to help realise their goal that 'every child and young person should experience the richness of the arts'. We will be working to make arts and cultural experiences and opportunities more coherent and accessible for children, young people and their families and will be placing particular emphasis on quality and excellence - raising the standard of art being produced for, with and by children and young people.

Bridge activity

Our activity from April 2012 onwards is still under development but will include the following activities:

• auditing arts and cultural provision in the North West and the level of take-up by children and young people, as well as developing a clearer understanding of the attitudes and perceptions that drive engagement or disengagement
• wherever there is low engagement or low provision of arts activity, we will seek to establish new and sustainable activity in response. This is likely to include encouraging national and private funders who have not traditionally funded the arts to invest more significantly and more often in arts and cultural work with children and young people in the North West
• bringing the arts and cultural and education sectors (as well as other relevant sectors, such as health) together to share, debate, forge new relationships and access new opportunities
• acting as a 'one stop shop' first point of contact for schools
• providing information, advice and support on Artsmark (a kitemark for schools wanting to put in place a rich and significant arts and cultural offer for pupils) and the Arts Award national qualification (recognising the artistic passions, achievements and leadership of young people)
• identifying, sharing and progressing best practice, supporting development of a set of shared principles that should underpin all work with children and young people and benchmarking quality of provision     

 

‘Sharing and Debate’ seminars

As we approach the launch of our Bridge Organisation programme in April 2012, Curious Minds aims to engage widely with our stakeholders through seminars, meetings and online debate. This will help us progress, in partnership with others, our ideas of what a Bridge Organisation should be and what it can achieve.  There will be many opportunities for you to input into this exciting new venture. 

In July and August, Curious Minds staged three ‘sharing and debate’ events for arts and cultural practitioners across the North West, exploring three key areas that affect their work with children and young people. You can view and download the notes from each of the seminars by clicking on the links below.

 

• ‘Making connections: engaging the disengaged’ –  26 July – Tate Liverpool 

  
  

When it comes to the most disconnected children, young people and families, how do we ‘reach the parts that other arts and cultural offers don’t reach’? How can we overcome barriers around... access... perception... poverty of aspiration? How can we convince gatekeepers to act as our champions? What does ‘demand- led, not supplier-led’ mean in practice?

This discussion centred on one of the arts and cultural sector’s thorniest issues – how do we ensure that all children and young people benefit from our work, not just the most capable, confident and connected?

•  ‘Thriving together: partnership and collaboration’ –  2 August – Royal Exchange, Manchester

  
  

What value can working in partnership add to our offer to children and young people? How can we maximise the benefits to our... learning and development... sustainability... and impact? What are rich and lasting partnerships really built upon? 

This discussion sought to explore the ways in which cooperation not competition will help us survive and thrive together in difficult times

• ‘Capturing greatness: quality and excellence’ –  3 August – The Grand, Clitheroe

  
  

What does great art for, with and by children and young people look like? How can we capture and define it and, having done so, always ensure we offer it? Who decides what quality is? What is universal and what is unique to an artform? 

This discussion focused on the challenges and opportunities involved in defining, then levering quality within our projects and programmes  

In the months ahead, we will be sharing more information on the activity we will offer and the difference we hope to make between 2012 and 2015. To make sure you’re involved; sign up for our e-bulletin...