The Cultural Citizens Programme, a government initiative that will provide over 600 children in disadvantaged areas free access to cultural activities, was recently launched.
The programme, which includes trips to the theatre, will be piloted in Barking and Dagenham, Liverpool and Blackpool, and Birmingham, and it is hoped that it will be rolled out nationally if it is successful. The new scheme will be led by Arts Council England and delivered by local partners in each area.
The end of November saw the launch of the Barking and Dagenham pilot programme, which is led by creative education agency A New Direction, after being announced in August. It will be delivered by Studio 3 Arts and Creative Barking and Dagenham, and will see 300 schoolchildren experience a range of art forms as well as achieving an Arts Award Bronze qualification. Providing children with this opportunity will put them in good stead for a future career, even if not in the arts.
London, and the UK overall, hosts some of the greatest arts institutions in the world, so the programme prioritises giving young people access to theatres, museums and galleries close to them. Those heading up the initiative hope it will help encourage a lifelong love of the arts and culture, by nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences. The programme will complement Arts Council England's existing programmes for young people, focusing firstly on children in areas where cultural participation is at the lowest benefit from the arts.
Cultural education organisation Curious Minds will lead the Liverpool and Blackpool pilot, with young people working with specially trained cultural coaches to plan visits to festivals and organisations, including the Liverpool Everyman and Tate Liverpool. In Birmingham, 20 arts organisations will take part in the programme, led by Kids in Museums.