￡200k investment in arts and cultural organisations

We're excited to announce that we're investing a total of ￡200,000 to support arts and cultural organisations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and North Kent. The Learning Offer Development Fund is for visual arts, performing arts, heritage and museum sectors as well as libraries, local authority cultural services, theatres and music education hubs to develop their work with children and young people.?

We work to connect children and young people with great art and culture. We know that teaching, especially creative subjects, during the Covid-19 pandemic is challenging, with schools having to adapt and embrace new approaches and technology. Home learning activities that incorporate authentic learning experiences, student-centred approaches and choice, were found to be effective during lockdown.1 The arts offer ideal vehicles for such ways of working. We hope that our investment gives more children and young people remote and live access to arts and cultural practitioners to enhance the curriculum, provide vocational learning and offer challenging, enjoyable learning opportunities.?

The fund means that cultural organisations can rethink their learning programmes at a time of huge change. Since the pandemic hit, they’ve needed to come up with new and innovative ways to develop creative and cultural work for, by and with children and young people. The fund will allow organisations to develop new plans, create infrastructure for new digital work, think again about how they engage audiences, carry out research and pilot new ideas to diversify their offer and reach.???

We’ve already invested ￡115,000 in 26 organisations as part of the Learning Offer Development Fund, and the latest round of funding will see ￡85,000 invested in 16 more.?

Following the success of the art and sound installation Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories, Evewright Arts Foundation in Thurrock will use their grant to develop resources for schools to share Black British stories, including the experiences of the Windrush generation.?

Matipo Arts, Essex will put their funding towards piloting a new Arts Award programme for children with special educational needs. Georgia Hardcastle, Co-director told us:?

“We have worked with children and young people with anxiety, epilepsy, speech delay and other challenges. Our flexible approach has allowed learners to engage at a level which is accessible and meaningful for them. We believe in the innate value and power of creativity. It is our mission to bring creativity into people's lives and thereby make the world a better place. The development of this new education offer will allow us to bring creativity to more young people in a meaningful way and support creative freelancers through training and employment.”?