|
|
YouthLink Scotland (YLS) believes that where the experience of the arts is positive, young people are more likely to stay engaged with arts and culture on a long-term basis, with significant benefits for their own personal and social development.
Therefore YouthLink Scotland is working in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) to develop the arts in informal education in Scotland. SAC Education Department creative links programme has supported the creation of an arts development officer post in YLS, which has now been extended to 2006.
YLS sees the arts as having both an inherent value and a role to play in extending young peoples experiences, competencies, and skills. YLS would welcome the articulation of young people's cultural entitlement in Scotland, and the continued implementation of structures and resources to meet this entitlement. Both access to and the quality of arts provision are vital components in considering cultural entitlement for young people in Scotland.
YLS believes that both youth workers and organisations working with young people have a significant role to play in making the arts a relevant and accessible part of the youth work curriculum.
As well as reaching over 200,000 young people in Scotland the informal sector provides opportunities for young people who are disaffected from mainstream education. The arts provide excellent tools for working with young people outside of formal education: introducing new learning styles, increasing confidence, and supporting them to develop a voice. Well structured projects can also help young people to gain the confidence to move on to higher education and work. Examples of projects with these outcomes can be found on the CREATE:arts for youthwork website, www.create-scotland.co.uk.
The arts development project broadens and extends creative opportunities to young people in Scotland by providing youth workers and arts practitioners with information, networking and development opportunities. The project supports YouthLink Scotland member organisations, arts organisations and individuals to develop their creative capacity, engage young people with the arts, develop partnerships and build exciting quality arts opportunities and projects for young people in Scotland.
For further information contact:
Samea Khan
Arts Development Officer
YouthLink Scotland
Rosebery House
9 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh
EH15 2EZ
Tel: 0131 313 2488
Fax: 0131 313 6800
Email: skhan@youthlink.co.uk