Curious Minds

Sharing and Debate with Curious Minds

Curious Minds would like to invite you to a series of events in which arts and cultural professionals from across the region will share, debate, imagine and design in response to the most pressing issues affecting ambitious arts and cultural work with children and young people in 2011. As Curious Minds begins its preparations to become the North West’s new ‘bridge organisation’ as of April 2012 - helping Arts Council England deliver its aim of every child and young person having the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts - we look forward to joining you to capture the moment in time we find ourselves together in.

 

• ‘Making connections: engaging the disengaged’ – 10am – 2pm, 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 will centre on one of our 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’ – 10am-2pm, 2^nd 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 will seek to explore the ways in which cooperation not competition will help us survive and thrive together in difficult times

• ‘Capturing greatness: quality and excellence’ – 10am-2pm, 3^rd 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 will focus on the challenges and opportunities involved in defining, then levering quality within our projects and programmes   

The last hour of each session will be an informal networking lunch. To register for any (or all!) of these events, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1876868765 (Liverpool), http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1881631009 (Manchester), 
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1880078365 (Clitheroe)

And if you’re in the mood to connect and share, you might like to know that Culture & Achievement North West  meets at Salford Quays between 9.45am and 1pm on 21 July. Culture & Achievement North West is a pan-regional network devoted to improving the quality, innovation, reach and impact of vocational and work-related learning for children and young people in our region who aspire to a career in the arts. To find out more and to book your place, e-mail our Arts Award Regional Development Coordinator, Hannah at hannah.baldwin@curiousminds.org.uk