A REPORT ON a two-year programme in Moray under Scotland’s first youth arts strategy has shown that it led to over 3000 young people participating – and 71 being trained in their chosen art form.
Creative Scotland published ‘Time to Shine’ in 2013 with three key themes of participation, nurturing creativity and talent and developing infrastructure and quality.
They created nine regional Youth Arts Hubs, groups of cultural organisations working in partnership across artforms that coordinated and strengthened activity throughout Scotland. The Youth Arts Hub in Moray was created under the name of Ignite.
That was led by Forres-based Findhorn Bay Arts and operated an activity programme supported over the two-year period ending in December 2016.
Over the period Ignite saw 3085 young people participating in youth arts activities, with 71 taking part in training and 26 gaining work experience and employment with the Ignite Moray Youth Arts Hub. As a direct result of their participation in the programme, six young people went on to education or employment.
With the funded two-year period over, Creative Scotland has continued to support the hubs to explore how they can now build on the legacy into the future. Findhorn Bay Arts has since worked closely with young people and the creative sector through Ignite to explore how to build on the legacy of the work so far and how this work might continue.
This has led to a Strategy for Legacy and Sustainability, which places young people at the centre of decision making. The proposal outlines how a strategic approach can provide some elements of continuity for the connections and partnerships that have been developed through the hub.
A spokeswoman for Ignite told insideMoray: “The key vision moving forward is for Ignite to be repositioned as an online hub which can help to signpost opportunities, connect people and organisations and celebrate creative achievements of young people in Moray.
“A new hub website was designed and launched with the ideas and views of young people at its heart. The site presents a very active noticeboard of creative opportunities for young people and their families in Moray.
“For this summer alone there are many opportunities already listed on the noticeboard including outdoor creativity with Vision Mechanics, a youth dance summer School with Bodysurf Scotland, aerial skills with Fly Agaric Performing Arts, drama summer school with Out of the Darkness Theatre Company, workshops in electronic soundscape making with Wildbird and a theatre with Frozen
Charlotte along with several more.
The new website provides a platform for young people and their families to find out about, interact with and showcase a great range of creative work being done by and for young people and their families in Moray all year round.
To find out more about the new online Ignite hub and to explore creative opportunities or to download the Ignite Strategy for Legacy and Sustainability, visit www.ignitemoray.com