As well as producing its three major festivals, Bath International Music Festival, The Independent Bath Literature Festival and The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival, Bath Festivals also runs a busy year round Learning and Participation programme.
Belinda Kidd, Chief Executive of Bath Festivals says:
“This is a fantastic endorsement of the quality of Bath Festivals’ learning and participation programme. We’re really proud of the young people who’ve won Arts Awards through their involvement with our projects, and it will be great to help even more young people gain this important recognition of their achievement in the future.”
The Good Practice Award recognises the work Bath Festivals does to support young people working towards their Arts Awards, a national scheme to recognise the achievements of young people in engaging with the arts.
Bath Festivals engages with thousands of young people every year, by running the largest dedicated children’s literature festival in Europe, and by delivering a host of education projects across all three of its festivals, and year round. Activities include enlisting a team of Young Curators from Wellsway School in Keynsham to help programme and present events at the Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival, working alongside best-selling children’s authors, and offering musical opportunities to young people in challenging circumstances across Bath & NE Somerset and South Gloucestershire as part of the Building Bridges project.
Arts Award’s unique qualifications support young people to develop as artists and arts leaders. The programme develops their creativity, leadership and communication skills. Open to anyone aged 7 to 25, Arts Award embraces all interests and backgrounds. Through working towards an award young people learn to work independently, helping them to prepare for further education and employment.
Good Practice Centres are chosen from a range of sectors, including schools, youth and community centres and the arts and cultural sector.
Louise Betts, Bath Festivals Learning & Participation Manager says:
“We are delighted to have been selected as an Arts Award Good Practice Centre and look forward to working with more young people over the coming year to help them explore the arts and achieve their Arts Awards. We’re grateful to all the supporters who help to fund this vital work, and also to all the other local arts organisations we work with including The Holburne Museum, the egg theatre and Suited and Booted Studios, and partners such as B&NES youth service, the library service, Bath Spa University and many others.”
