Sharing and debate event: Engaging the Disengaged Tate Liverpool, 26 July 2011

What value could a regional agency add to your work with children and young people?
Audit, information and advocacy: Audit identify hot spots, cold spots of engagement Acknowledge the scope and extent of need One stop info shop on whats available Coordination ensure that schools are not bombarded with info and offers Pull the while sector together national organisations, National Portfolio Organisations, Arts Council project-funded clients, private and commercial sector, freelancers, community and voluntary sector. Map the entirety of the sector A thorough communication network Advocacy Have clear, succinct and comprehensive evidence of the impact of arts and culture available to draw upon and use for advocacy and to act in a strategic advocacy role Profile raising: Raise awareness of [my organisations] commitment to cultural engagement for all children and young people... amongst children, young people, parents, carers, schools, local authorities, and the voluntary sector working with children and young people Promoting what we are all doing / achieving Profiling Quality and excellence, CPD and networking: Case studies of good practice and how to replicate it Support training and development of a pool of freelance practitioners Helping to connect organisations doing similar work with a similar focus to work in partnership or disseminate good practice. Provide training Help develop and coordinate areas of specialism through partnering organisations Opportunities. Progression A regional agency could (should) be the connection / glue between the individual points, expand the dialogue and inform / lead future innovations of working practice Help with evaluation (which we often dont have time to do) and support in disseminating good practice Share effective practice and impacts on children Coherence common practice, language and vision: Develop a new big idea Develop an engagement strategy for schools Connecting the vision and strong networks

 Inspirational leadership Join things up! Stop people reinventing the wheel / duplicating Coordinative support Bringing us all together to keep the conversations flowing (not burying our heads in the sand!) Bring everything and everyone together arts and cultural sector, young people and gatekeepers - into a single model Offering a critical eye, inspiring change: Support with overall strategic programming in terms of fresh eyes looking over Pressure (meaning challenge) Go beyond the usual suspects Children, young people and families: Work with families to break the cycle of deprivation Empower children and young people as the young, inspiring cultural leaders

Themed table discussions: What is our ideal future when it comes to engaging the disengaged? What skills and resources do we already have? How can we work together to achieve our goal?
How can we work together to achieve our ideal future?: Funders / stakeholders
We must do this... Connect up and share Connect really good artists with robust quality control Profile and celebrate what is already happening Find out the reason why we use culture. Why do we consume it what is that thing? We need to ensure that arts and culture continues in schools to ensure a basic entitlement We need to focus on core aims and purpose. Dont be a bureaucracy but justify your existence Wed like to do this... Use and engage with young peoples networks already established (networks for and by young people) Offer more space for culture to take place Evaluate using live evaluation methods, not dead reports so they can be owned by young people Find out how to truly consult with young people

Gain a proper overview of the region including the universal, targeted and special offers available Articulate the offer in a new way Make sure whatever we do provides room for everyone

Wouldnt it be great if... We could cut bureaucracy We had a generic pay scale which was affordable and still recognised the quality that professionals offer, taking into account skills, experience and recommendations We could dissolve the amount of paperwork / tick boxes and agendas We didnt have to always prove it We could go into communities at 11pm on a Saturday evening with a cool bloke with cool equipment We had the opportunity to try lots of things, as in lots of cultural forms Young people were making our decisions for us

How can we work together to achieve our ideal future?: Children and young people
We must do this... Redefine culture Reframe the discourse Empower young people to develop work Get our house in order Understand the gatekeepers the barriers the challenges Enable young people to make choices for themselves Ensure any offer is genuinely demand-led Really come up with the new idea or the new thing Offer choices based on demand Create a passport Have different offers universal, targeted and specialist Ensure there is room for everyone in this world that celebrates distinctiveness Wed like to do this... Create a new message Stop labelling audiences Become an agent for change a neutral body Establish more partnerships outside the sector including voluntary, community and charities See the sector catch-up with young people and our use of technology and the digital world Wouldnt it be great if... In three years, young people lead the cultural environment in the North West and are a beacon of change and best practice to the country and the world

How can we work together to achieve our ideal future?: North West arts and cultural organisations
We must do this... Positively rather than negatively frame this work Build more opinion formers who can influence the press and provide an alternative discourse Start with communitys interests (be ready to accept knitting and karaoke) Speak the language of the health sector, education sector and wider society, then... Build the confidence and ability of arts organisations to speak for themselves then... Link with people and agencies already out in the community establish longterm relationships built on trust then... (Wed like to do this...) Source champions and ambassadors from within the community (parents, teachers, etc.) who can assert clearly why the arts matter Open our doors and make professional expertise and advice available, founding relationships on mutual respect for each others needs (the needs of arts organisation and those of children, young people and gatekeepers) (Over time) Wouldnt it be great if... We built a network of empowered champions who can act as a conduit into communities and generate new programmes

What should Curious Minds be thinking about or doing as a bridge organisation? What challenges are we likely to face and how can we overcome them?
Establish and communicate a clear mission and associated objectives It shouldnt take money on the table to provoke action finance shouldnt be the sole motivation to engage Push the metaphor of a bridge as a meeting place for people to come together. Everyone should be aware of us and we should be the obvious people to call Bring people together to talk and connect Start small with quarterly meetings Develop mechanisms to listen to the needs of children and young people all the way through (e.g. 0-25) Bring young people from across Lancashire and Merseyside together and speak to them so we are clear on their needs

Acknowledge what young people are faced with at this moment in time volunteering (Big Society; National Citizen Service), new pressures such as SATs in primary school

Acrostics: Creating Understanding Resourceful Inspiring Original / Opportunity Unlimited Success

Building Revolutionary Ideas Developing Greatness in Everyone

Building Relationships Inclusive Dialogue Genuine Engagement

North West Or!

Really Tremendous Happening? Wise and wonderful Educators Sussed Together!

Share Knowledge Universal Promote Put People First Organise Radical Transformation

Brave Revolution Inspiring Diverse Global Evolution and excellence

Haikus Bringing young people

A lot closer to the arts To improve their lives. The Bamboo sings and bends Ready for all weathers Grows strong, proud and true Shizzle my nizzle And Buyaka sha home boy.... ...We need to get young.

Sunshine today and Big task in your way you must Trust, connect always.

The power of three Who are we? Child, keeper, creator a triangle Makes us three and three power trebles

Get on board the magical bus with us No fuss Grab a map seat for all Choose the route, change the route, come with us On the magical mystery tour bus.