Find your Talent pilots announced

Ten areas around the country are to pilot the Government's 25 million pound 'Find Your Talent' programme to give young people the chance to encounter a range of high-quality cultural experiences for five hours a week both in and outside of school. Children in the pilot areas will be able to discover and develop their talents in the cultural sphere.

In time, the Government wants all young people to have the right to experience five hours of arts and culture every week.

The ten lead organisations chosen as pilots are:

  • Bolton Borough Council
  • The Creative Foundation (serving Shepway District and including Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh)
  • Customs House (North and South Tyneside)
  • Hampshire County Council
  • Leeds Children's Services
  • Leicestershire County Council
  • 'Liverpool City Region' Partnership (serving three Merseyside neighbourhoods)
  • North Somerset
  • Telford and Wrekin Council
  • Tower Hamlets

The pilots will trial different ways of offering young people a range of cultural experiences both within schools and in professional art settings. Different approaches will be used, based on partnerships between schools, local authorities and arts organisations, so that creative practitioners will go into schools, as well as children getting the chance to gain experience outside the classroom.

Up to £25million is available for the work over the next three years.  The press release said  “The pilots will trial different ways of offering young people a range of cultural experiences both within schools and in professional art settings. Different approaches will be used, based on partnerships between schools, local authorities and arts organisations, so that creative practitioners will go into schools, as well as children getting the chance to gain experience outside the classroom.”

More details can be found at http://www.creative-partnerships.com/programmes/find-your-talent/find-your-talent,26,LAN.html

The Reading Agency has been asked by MLA to help the pathfinder projects to promote the role of reading and libraries and to highlight literature and reading within the range of cultural activity offered to young people. 

The Reading Agency has developed a handout (Word, 1221kb) and  a presentation (ppt, 476kb) with ideas on consolidation and innovation, based on what libraries already do well.