Information on Loughborough

Children celebrate culture scheme success

Posted on 08/09/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Community Services

8 September 2009

Children celebrate culture scheme success

Dancers, acrobats and musicians will join children and young people from across Leicester and Leicestershire to celebrate the success of a £2.5 million culture project.

Around 250 children and young people from 30 schools across the city and county will see live performances at Leicester’s Peepul Centre on September 14th and 15th and get involved in shaping the Find Your Talent scheme.

Find Your Talent is a £2.5 million, Government-funded scheme to involve Leicester and Leicestershire’s 250,000 young people in high quality culture, including museums, theatre, music, dance and film-making.

Launched last year, key parts of the scheme include:

  • Young Cultural Ambassadors – young people who will act as consumers, critics, creators and commissioners of culture
  • Go, See and Inspire, which offers schools and children’s centres £500 to see live performances and visit attractions in Leicester Shire and elsewhere – so far, more than 10,000 young people have taken part
  • Hundreds of children gaining their Arts Award

Ernie White, the County Cabinet member responsible for Find Your Talent, said: “Thousands of children have benefited from Find Your Talent so far, whether it’s by seeing live theatre and music performances, devising their own schemes or creating and taking part in events like the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics.

“Next week’s events will highlight the achievements to date and get children involved in planning for what happens next.”

Led by Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council and The Mighty Creatives, Leicester Shire’s Find Your Talent scheme is the largest of the 10 national pilots and the only one in the East Midlands.

For further details about Find Your Talent, visit www.leics.gov.uk/talent or call the team on 0116 305 5585.

For media interviews, or to attend the morning sessions of the event, please contact Davey Ivens on 0116 305 5584 or Davey.ivens@leics.gov.uk before 4pm on Friday, September 11.

Background:

  • Find Your Talent gives children and young people the chance to try out different cultural and creative activities. It's about helping them to discover new things, to express themselves, to develop a passion and to make the most of their talent. Whether it is music, art, film, theatre, dance, digital media, exploring libraries, museums or heritage, Find Your Talent is for every child and young person, whatever their age and whatever their ability.
  • Find Your Talent is being piloted in 10 pathfinder areas across England and offers children and young people regular involvement with arts and culture both in and out of school. Find Your Talent is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Arts Council England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
  • Find Your Talent is managed nationally by the new organisation Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE).