XTRAX is delighted to announce that it will be a partner in the Staffordshire University-led Placemaking and Co-Creation Leadership Programme, supported by Arts Council England’s Transforming Leadership Fund.
A total of £6m is being invested by Arts Council England in museums, libraries and arts across the country to help tackle skills gaps, a lack of diversity, and to support the continued growth and long-term sustainability of the sector. Drawing upon North Staffordshire and Cheshire East’s rich creative heritage, the Placemaking and Co-Creation Leadership Programme intends to develop leaders who will play a transformative role in the future of the arts.
Focussing on placemaking and co-creation, the programme will work with existing consortium networks, local authorities, higher education institutions and regional cultural organisations to address the needs of its rurally dispersed communities. The two-year project, beginning in January 2020, aims to reach communities perceived to have low cultural engagement and to identify a more diverse future talent pool of creative leaders. This will include working with existing organisations such as the Cultural Forum, B-Arts, Cheshire Dance, BCB, Appetite, Spare Parts, Voluntary Arts England, Arts&Heritage and the New Vic to support the creative talent already in the region.
The programme will involve residential stays, roundtable challenges and 1:1 coaching to develop knowledge and provide new skills covering a range of topics including business and digital skills, strategic partnership work, executive coaching and audience participation.
The project also aligns closely to the cultural strategies of project partners Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Cheshire East Council.
The Placemaking and Co-Creation Leadership Programme project partners are:
- Staffordshire University (lead)
- Staffordshire Coaching and Mentoring Hub (SCMH)
- Keele University
- Cheshire East Council
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Stoke-on-Trent & North-Staffordshire Chambers
- Arts&Heritage
- The Audience Agency
- Voluntary Arts England
- XTRAX
- North Staffordshire BCB
- B-Arts
- New Vic Theatre
- Appetite
- Stoke-on-Trent Cultural Forum
- Cheshire Dance
- Spare Parts
For more information please visit the Staffordshire University website.