Deadline: 2-Jun-22
The Arts Council is pleased to launch the Creative Schools Initiative to support Primary and Post-Primary schools and Youthreach centres across Ireland to put arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives.
This initiative provides opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills, including; communication, collaboration, imagination, curiosity and invention. Each participating school/centre will be matched with a Creative Associate who will work with them to carry out an analysis of their current engagement with the arts and creativity. Using this they will create a sustainable Creative Schools Plan that will draw on a range of opportunities within the school/centre and the wider community.
Creative Associates will respond to the school’s/centre’s development priorities and needs in order to support them in deepening the arts and creative opportunities for children and young people. They will use their practical experience to develop partnerships and mechanisms that enable sustained relationships between schools/centres and the arts and cultural sectors.
Participating schools/centres will be supported to design, deliver and report on elements of their Creative Schools Plan during their participation. They will also be asked to cooperate with an independent evaluation of the initiative.
Funding Information
Schools/centres will be awarded a once-off grant of €4,000 (in total) to implement their plans over the two school years 2022–2023 and 2023–2024.
Benefits
Schools/centres will be assigned a Creative Associate, who will advise and support them for a maximum of nine days over the school year.
Creative Schools Coordinators (members of participating schools’/centres’ staff) will attend training, which will provide the opportunity to meet other participating schools/centres and the Creative Schools team. Creative Schools Coordinators should be available to attend this training, and one-day substitution cover per year per school will be paid to facilitate their attendance.
Other training and networking opportunities may be available to schools/centres, such as training about involving children and young people in decision-making.
Schools/centers will be invited to take part in Creative Schools Week, a national celebration of the arts and creativity.
What activity can you use the funding for?
In consultation with the Creative Associate, the school will decide how they wish to use the funding. The funding must be used to support the implementation of the Creative Schools Plan developed by each
School and to achieve the ideas that will be generated from discussions with staff, children and young people, families and the wider community. This may include but is not limited to:
- Creative methods to develop arts and creativity policies and plans
- Working with artists and/or creative practitioners
- Exploring creative ways to teach and learn
- Arts and creative professional development for teachers
- Engaging with local arts and creative organisations
- Providing workshop, exhibition or performance opportunities for the children/young people
- Visits to galleries, theatres, heritage sites, cinemas, museums, libraries and the local arts centre.
Who is eligible to apply?
All Department of Education recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youth reach centres that have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are eligible to apply.
For more information, visit https://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Creative-Schools-Initiative/