Art for Social Change at The Lowry

50 young carers, 75 looked-after children and 1,000 young people who are NEET6 or at-risk of being NEET, 260 practitioners will also benefit from the project activities.

As part of the work of the Lowry Centre Trust, the Art for Social Change programme aims to deliver three separate activities that target three groups of young people who are NEET. All three projects use arts activities to reduce isolation and increase confidence, skills, ambitions and qualifications. In weekly sessions children will choose art forms that most interest them. Parallel to benefitting these children, Art for Social Change will work alongside arts practitioners to strengthen the cultural sector’s ability to work with hard-to-reach young people.
Origin and aims: The foundation decided to fund this project because it firmly aligns with its strategic vision of putting people in the lead.

The Lowry believes the arts have an unparalleled ability to develop empowerment. By exposing disadvantaged young people to creative activities, Art for Social Change aims to increase the current well-being of recipients through shared experiences engaging in arts and peer-to-peer contact. At the same time, this project works to improve the future prospects of recipients, using the arts as a vehicle for developing lifelong skills (i.e. organisation, critical thinking, oral communication and team work). This learning isn’t forced upon the young people, but brought about by them themselves.

Art for Social Change gives recipients the autonomy to choose art forms that interest them – and work towards events such as productions, comedy evenings, films or exhibitions – empowering these young people to take charge of their own development. This project also constitutes a particularly forward-thinking and preventative way of tackling the problem of disadvantage and isolation. Rather than addressing the problems caused by lack of education at a late stage, this project seeks to reach out to young people and ensure they are given opportunities that promote well-being and development early on.