Report sheds light on youth access to the Arts

IFACCA/Artshub, 05 March 2005,United Kingdom

A new report from the Scottish Arts Council entitled ‘Expressing Themselves: National Youth Consultation on the Arts,’ revealed that whilst young people participate in a wide range of arts activities and enjoy attending arts performances, there are a number of factors that restrict young people from participating in arts activities. The research collected the views of over 1200 young people and was conducted by Young Scot, the national youth information agency. The aim was to identify how young people felt towards the arts and allow them to have a say in how the arts are delivered to young people in the future. The consultation showed that almost nine out of ten respondents go to the cinema while more than half of respondents said they attend live music concerts. A third of those questioned said they play a musical instrument. However, the research also showed there were some factors which inhibited young people from accessing the arts or affected their decision to stop participating in the activities they were doing. Young people identified a range of solutions that they felt would improve the current situation. These included: - improved access, marketing and information specifically tailored for young people; - better facilities with youth friendly staff; - improved and affordable public transport for arts activities; - more activities focused towards young people rather than children or adults; - greater involvement of young people at all levels of decision making in the arts. Graham Berry, Director of the Scottish Arts Council, said: “Young people across Scotland are getting involved in the arts and doing great things as a result. There are certainly some positive points for us to take from this consultation but it is also clear that there are still things that need to be done to help increase the number of young people participating in the arts across Scotland.” For further information, CLICK HERE

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