Dance. Music. Spoken word. Arts. Crafts. Graphic design. Reading. Visiting museums and galleries. Going to the library. Attending festivals, events and cultural celebrations. Making films or video games. There’s many different definitions and interpretations of what it means to experience culture, and live a creative life.
Over the last couple of months we’ve been working on a new research project exploring young people’s views on culture, creativity and cultural education, in partnership with the Arts Council England. Commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the project is supporting children and young people (aged under 25) to share their experiences and consider what young people need to access and enjoy cultural and creative experiences. Insights from community workshops and a national survey will help shape the government’s Cultural Education Plan, due to be published later this year.
A youth-led research approach
If you’ve been following Common Vision’s work for a while, you’ll know that an important strand of our research aims to amplify the views and voices of young people on important social and public policy issues. Too many projects and initiatives aim to ‘hear young people’s views’ or ‘give young people a say’ without involving them on their own terms. This research project aims to put young people in the driving seat, from design to analysis. It’s being overseen by Arts Council England’s Youth Advisory Board who will present insights to government officials next month.
In terms of research methods, we’ve been training up Youth Facilitators to host participatory workshops in community and school settings around the country. We also have some national, online workshops coming up next week.
It’s not to late for young people to share their experiences and perspectives
There’s still one week left for young people to take part in this 10-minute questionnaire, which will close on Friday 16th June. It asks young people about their experiences of arts and culture and your views on what young people need to access and enjoy cultural and creative experiences. There’s also a link to an easy-read version for young people with learning needs, or children under 12.
We want to hear from a diverse range of young people aged under 25 across England, from those who have an active interest in culture and creative opportunities as well as those who haven’t had many opportunities to get involved. All research participants will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a £50 voucher.