East Ayrshire Council has received a total of £35,000 to help the recovery of youth arts provision across East Ayrshire, ensuring employment for youth arts practitioners and creative opportunities for children and young people continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Council will use the funding to distribute grants of between £500-£5,000 directly to freelance artists/creative practitioners, across all artforms, for artist led youth arts activities.
Joe Gallagher, Cultural Coordinator, East Ayrshire Council said:
“The Passion Projects is a diverse programme of artist-led creative learning engagement, empowering professional practitioners to reconnect with East Ayrshire’s education and wider community.
“As well as breathing new life into opportunities for the most disadvantaged children, young people and families, the programme will provide much-needed support for the freelance arts community who have experienced severe hardship during the pandemic.
“We are excited to reignite collaborations with our artist community and invite them to propose ways to meaningfully engage with children and young people through high quality experiences which celebrate the value of creativity and partnership working.” Individual grant applications will open early in the new year.
Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd said:
“Youth music and youth arts organisations across Scotland are playing an important role in the lives of young people during these difficult times. This funding will widen access to high quality opportunities for young people, allowing them to participate and engage with music and other art forms.
“It will also provide welcome employment opportunities to more than 200 youth arts practitioners, including freelance musicians, across Scotland.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said:
“These vital emergency funds being delivered by Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government are ensuring that creative opportunities continue to exist for young people and across Scotland at this critical time and provide important work for freelance artists whose opportunities have been so severely impacted by Covid-19.”
The Small Grants Scheme is the second strand of funding to be announced as part of the Scottish Government’s £3million funding package for Youth Arts, being delivered through Creative Scotland. At least £1.2million has already been distributed through the Youth Arts Targeted Fund and £50,000 assigned to the Nurturing Talent: New Routes Fund.