Youth-led British Museum programme Where we are… has today announced its Key Partners for 2024 will be located in Doncaster and Wolverhampton.
This national programme supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for those aged 16–24 aims to empower young people through the co-creation of arts and culture projects within their own communities.
The Key Partner organisations selected this year include arts and youth empowerment organisations that will work in partnership with their local authority Arts and Culture Service. They serve communities that face high levels of deprivation, aiming to create opportunities, provide support and raise aspirations for young people.
In each area, young people who join the programme decide what type of arts and culture projects they would like to pursue and co-produce. Previous projects have included photography that repositioned perceptions of Edinburgh as being more than just the Royal Mile, animation about the power of art as protest, and filmmaking that reflected on a historic house’s connections to enslavement and colonisation.
In Doncaster, Right Up Our Street and City of Doncaster Culture Services were selected as Key Partners. Right Up Our Street is a community-led arts programme funded by Arts Council England, providing art activities and events in Doncaster. It works in partnership with Doncaster’s communities, listening to what they need and want, co-creating an arts programme that is relevant and meaningful.
City of Doncaster CultureServices oversees the management of Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, including a variety of cultural venues such as the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, Doncaster Archives, Cusworth Hall Park and Gardens, and Doncaster Mansion House.
Meg Barclay, Learning and Community Development Manager, Cultural Services Doncaster, said:
We are thrilled to have this unique opportunity to work in partnership with the British Museum and our fantastic local organisation Right Up Our Street. Being able to share learning, experiences and resources through this partnership is exciting and will enable us to explore new approaches to working with young people to help them discover their local history and culture in meaningful ways for them.
Sally Lockey, Director, Right Up Our Street, said:
Right Up Our Street are thrilled to be partnering up with Doncaster Gallery Library and Museum and the British Museum. Projects like this are such a great opportunity for the city’s young people to feel firmly rooted in the nation’s heritage, as well as shape their story in an authentic and creative way. I can’t wait to see what direction they take!
In Wolverhampton, Reach and Unite Outreach and Empowerment (RUOE) and Wolverhampton Arts and Culture Services were selected. RUOE aims to remove barriers that lead to the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities that affect the wellbeing of young people and their families. The organisation focuses on the key factors that affect health such as education, employment and social networks. They create opportunities and provide support for young people and their families through targeted outreach programmes.
Wolverhampton Arts and Culture Services includes three venues, offering visitors the opportunity to explore 300 years of art at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, enjoy free workshops at Bilston Craft Gallery or step back 100 years at Bantock House Museum.
Evelyn Wilson, Team Coordinator, Reach and Unite Outreach and Empowerment, said:
We are deeply honoured and thrilled to be part of the Where we are… programme in partnership with Wolverhampton Art Gallery. It’s a privilege to support young individuals in unleashing their creativity and providing them with a platform to express their unique voices through art. We are committed to empowering the next generation to explore their creative potential and contribute meaningfully to our community.
Hanouf Al-Alawi, National Outreach Manager at the British Museum, said:
We are so excited to work with our partners in Wolverhampton and Doncaster on this year’s Where we are… programme. Their passion and motivation to make positive changes for the young people in their local area was truly inspiring. I can’t wait to start collaborating on the new projects this year’s programme brings.
The British Museum’s National Programmes
The British Museum is committed to sharing the collection and our knowledge as widely as possible to create a positive educational, social and economic impact across the UK. In 2023/24 we lent nearly 2,000 objects to over 100 museums and galleries, reaching around 8 million visitors outside London. Our loans to partnership museums and galleries facilitate new perspectives on our shared global history, reflecting diverse viewpoints, lived experiences and collective ideas.
The British Museum also manages the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) in England, recording and sharing British archaeological discoveries to help shape our understanding of the past.
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