Young adults in Cumbria who want to build a career leading arts organisations, will have a great opportunity to develop with the launch of a new programme which has received £426,670 of funding from Arts Council England.
A partnership of Brathay Trust, Theatre by the Lake, and University of Cumbria will deliver a 2 year programme that aims to develop leaders who will change the culture of the arts sector in Cumbria and North Lancashire, and hopefully beyond.
20 students, who are currently working or volunteering in the arts sector in the area, will be recruited. The course will be a Diploma in Higher Education in Social Enterprise Leadership, with unique personal development opportunities through leadership residentials, work placements, action learning sets and access to mentors.
Godfrey Owen, Brathay’s Chief Executive, said “We are very much looking forward to being involved in this exciting programme and engaging with new leaders in geographical areas of low engagement, investment and opportunity. We are interested in applications from those engaged in the arts with the potential for leadership, who have faced barriers to developing through their personal circumstances.”
Jane Tarr, Director, North, Arts Council England said: “Congratulations to Brathay Trust on their Transforming Leadership funding for Cumbria Partnership. This programme will see a new approach with young people given the opportunity to not only engage with arts and culture but deliver and shape what the local creative sector looks like. I look forward to seeing the journey these young creative leaders will go on through the Diploma, delivered in partnership with University of Cumbria and Theatre by the Lake, and the future they will be mapping out along the way not only for themselves but for the Cumbria and North Lancashire region.”
Professor Julie Mennell, Vice Chancellor at University of Cumbria added “In partnership with Brathay Trust, we are thrilled to have gained funding from the Arts Council to develop further our collaborative BSc Social Enterprise Leadership programme. This new programme aims to deliver Goal 4 of the Arts Council’s strategy, to ensure our ‘leadership and workforce in the arts, museums and libraries are diverse and appropriately skilled’. Here in Cumbria and North Lancashire our visitor and creative sectors represent a significant part of our economy, and with very few leadership training opportunities available, funding like this is vital. Not only for our economy, but to support our talented young adults from low educational attainment and participation communities to achieve their considerable potential.”
James Cobbold, Executive Director of Theatre by the Lake, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be involved with the Arts Council’s Transforming Leadership fund alongside our partners, and are hugely excited at the prospect of nurturing the arts and cultural leaders of tomorrow, and equipping them with the skills and the experience needed in our field. We look forward to working in collaboration with local cultural sector organisations, artists and makers in offering a wide range of opportunities across Cumbria and North Lancashire.”
The Arts Council is investing £7.1million into leadership development in England to ensure that cultural leaders are appropriately skilled and diverse.
This new programme is one of 18 projects receiving funding to deliver a range of activity, across art forms, with 70% of participants outside of London.
Each project will consider diversity closely; with many specifically addressing the under representation of leaders from certain groups.
