Preston, Lancashire
Contact: Jude Bird Head of Education, Leadership and Research
As the Bridge Organisation for the Arts Council England in the North West region, Curious Minds exists to link children and young people with great art and culture. Curious Minds has a key focus on careers in arts and culture and a member of staff dedicated to careers work.
The organisation has undertaken a number of programmes: alternative Saturday jobs in the arts sector, apprenticeships in cultural organisations specifically for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people and paid work experience in the arts sector.
Currently, Curious Minds is developing schools work to support careers teachers. Through a pilot programme in Liverpool and Manchester, they aim to increase through knowledge of careers in arts and culture. This entails students shadowing several cultural organisations to help them understand how they work.
The organisation works in partnership with a number of universities at different academic levels: Liverpool Hope, LJMU, Manchester and University of Central Lancashire, University of Chester and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Curious Minds co-wrote the Post-graduate Certificate in Creative and Cultural Education with Edge Hill University. They are a collaborative partner with MMU Education Faculty in supporting a Doctoral Fellowship on early years and the arts. They work with initial teacher educators in the Universities of Chester, Central Lancashire, MMU and EHU.
They have co-run a Post Graduate conference for three years with University of Chester’s RECAP (Research into Creative Arts Practice) Centre profiling the research of their Specialist Leaders in Cultural Education along with Ed.d, Ph.D and M.A students studying creative arts areas.
They are establishing a partnership with Liverpool Hope across Education, Disability Studies and Performing Arts Faculties with the aim of making the research available to small and medium sized cultural organisations in Liverpool.