The Russell Commission charity has launched a free programme of capacity-building activities, to help organisations work more effectively with young volunteers. The programme includes training and support on designing and developing volunteering programmes, making consortia work, media and communications, accreditation and working effectively with business.
w: http://www.russellcommission.org/capacity-building-events/ready-steady-go.pdf
Common or Garden, a project commissioned by Epping Forest Arts, will next month be touring an interactive installation sited at village greens. Five artists are being given an 8 x 6 foot garden shed as a structural starting point and their own village green to place it on. Working with primary school children and community groups in five villages, each will take inspiration from the local area to create their own shed transformation.
In its programme of work for 20062009, the Wales National Audit Office will be conducting a study of the Arts Council of Wales to address the question Is the Arts Council of Wales managing its capital spending well?
Ty Newydd, the National Writers Centre for Wales, has celebrated its official reopening following a £2m refurbishment and development programme. The centre, which offers residential courses in both English and Welsh on all aspects of creative writing, from poetry to television scriptwriting, now has appropriate facilities to offer disabled people and other course attenders.
w: http://www.tynewydd.org
Thirty-two of Waless most famous musicians including Bryn Terfel, Karl Jenkins and the Super Furry Animals have called for the re-establishment of the Music Development Fund and a Music Manifesto for Wales, in order to halt the decline in youth music. The Music Development Fund was abolished by the Welsh Assembly Government in 2005.
London Calling Arts is delivering a new range of marketing and audience development services from a new distribution hub based in the Southern Home Counties. South East Calling aims to help arts and tourism organisations target the potential audiences in Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex and Hampshire who are most likely to engage with cultural activities.
t: 020 7275 7225; w: http://www.londoncalling.com/distribution/southeastcalling.php
Visiting Arts is carrying out research on behalf of British Council, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Scottish Executive to determine the type of support needed by cultural organisations to help them build understanding of and links with partner organisations in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. Organisations with an interest or experience in working with China are invited to complete a questionnaire.
e: [email protected]
A new website aiming to be an interactive shop window for news and information about events and activities in the cultural sector in the North East has been launched by the regional audience development agency Audiences North East. whatsonnortheast.com will feature bloggers from the local community posting their opinions on a range of events and performances, as well as exclusive ticket offers and promotions.
w: http://www.whatsonnortheast.com
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is failing to match its Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets on increasing attendance and participation by under represented groups at arts events, according to its 2006 annual report. The report details activities over the past year and measures progress on all PSA targets. Participation by all targeted groups had failed to reach targets, and attendance by disabled people dropped from the 2001 baseline of 29% to 26%, as did Black and minority ethnic attendance (from 32% to 30%). The department and its sponsored bodies, including Arts Council England, were making good progress against agreed efficiency savings.
w: http://www.culture.gov.uk
