New Programme Manager at LARC

LARC has now engaged a Programme Manager/Developer for the proposed Young Persons Festival. She is Amy Martin, a young people’s creative producer based in Birmingham who brings with her not just experience of working with and for young people in a range of consortia and partnerships, but also significant experience of cross-arts working. Amy has already started working with LARC and COoL partners and young people locally to scope out not just the vision, ambition and content of the festival but also the innovative work that partners and the young people will be engaged in to deliver the first celebratory showcase in summer 2014 Find out more about Amy...

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Liverpool Thrive programme – Final Report published

Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium has published the final report into the Liverpool Thrive Programme. The Thrive programme started in 2007 prior to the launch of the Capital of Culture year in Liverpool, supported by Arts Council England’s Thrive! programme. It aimed to provide a systematic approach to helping cultural organisations gain the expertise needed to respond to and influence a rapidly changing environment. The Liverpool Thrive project was given £1.34 million – the largest award within the scheme – and tested out a new model for embedding the arts and cultural sectors in the processes of social and economic renewal. The Liverpool Thrive programme final report in brief. By building on individual organisational strengths the Thrive Programme has enabled the strength, durability and flexibility of relationships to be established, tested and adapted and has therefore supported the development of deeper relationships between organisations. Working collaboratively has been very effective in advocating on behalf of the sector and engaging with key stakeholders as it has allowed LARC to ‘speak with one voice’. The fact that there has been sustained involvement by a consistent number of people has allowed strong networking, the sharing of information about programming aspirations and best practice which has supported the creation and articulation of not just a joint aspiration for the cultural direction of the city but also a shared vision and action plan – how it is to be delivered and who plays their part. The Thrive programme has therefore supported the development of a strategic profile and voice for culture and the strengthening of the relationships and influence with non-cultural strategic partners (e.g. Liverpool City Council, Primary Care Trust, Universities) despite changing political contexts during the Thrive Programme provides one example of the success of this collaborative approach. The Thrive programme has also provided the LARC partners with the resources to build a collective research and evidence base to demonstrate their collaborative and individual organisational activity, an evidence base that has given credibility to the arguments about the scope and impact of cultural activity within the City. The large scale research studies supported through the Thrive programme (e.g. economic and intrinsic impact) would not have been affordable or deliverable by a single LARC organisation and, perhaps more importantly, would not have been credible without the participation and involvement of a wide range of arts and cultural organisations in the City. Download a PDF version of the final report.  Final Report    ...

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Young Persons Festival – Consultant Opportunity

Young Persons Festival – Consultant Opportunity

The Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium (LARC) is seeking to engage an individual or organisation to work closely with a range of local partners to plan, manage and deliver an inspirational programme of engagement with young people culminating in July 2014 in the first of a series of biennial International Youth Arts and Cultural Festivals in Liverpool. Applications to undertake this work are invited from interested consultants or organisations who as a minimum can demonstrate: experience of working with or planning events for young people in an arts, education and training or community environment; experience of co-ordinating or managing learning and/or training programmes for young people, and appropriate event and/or Festival management and administrative experience. Further information about the opportunity and details of how to apply are available in the link below. The documents have been...

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Cultural shift…….

Cultural shift…….

With Arts Council England support we have developed a two year plan to create a cultural shift within the Liverpool arts sector, to give it adaptability and flexibility, to enable it to be more resilient to the challenges the future will bring, be they economic or cultural. LARC is considering ways to enhance the existing collaborative infrastructure within the Liverpool to support more cohesive strategic working across the whole City without compromising the strength and focus of individual collaborations. LARC believes that arts, culture and heritage organisations have a significant role to play in tackling the economic and social challenges that exist in many of our large towns and cities – they shape the identity of cities, provide direct and indirect employment and generate income for our communities. In difficult times and in an increasingly competitive world the places that will prosper and become desired locations in which to work, live, play, study and invest are those that can demonstrate a unique combination of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ factors: combining a robust economic argument with a sense of place, quality of life, creative and cultural opportunities. LARC appreciates this, and by working collaboratively will rise and respond to this wider, shared...

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Making the case

Making the case

Making the case for support of the arts in Liverpool can only be undertaken through thorough research, evaluation and appropriate advocacy. LARC partners have a long history of engaging in collaborative research and evaluation work pioneered during the successful European Capital of Culture year with “Impacts 08”. We have built on this foundation undertaking a robust economic impact study, an innovative intrinsic impacts study, (among the first of its kind to be conducted in the UK) and a wide ranging investigation into audience development focussing on non-traditional attendees and family friendly approaches We have supported this work through partnerships with Higher Education Institutions (through Impacts 08, Culture Campus and the recently established Institute for Cultural Capital at the University of Liverpool) and with other partners, most notably the City Council and the PCT. As arts practitioners we fully understand the need to demonstrate the differences that we make, not just in economic terms but also to the well being and health of our citizens. We also know that delivering an excellent product is dependent on us fully understanding our audiences and what works and why. To help us make this case we will continue our research into the public value and impact of the cultural sector in the Liverpool City Region and improve understanding of the role of culture within regeneration. We will also be exploring how the added value of a collaborative approach might be measured in areas where cost reduction is not the primary business driver. Social Impact – LARC partners are committed to developing a robust research and evaluation project around the social impact and the social return on investment of arts engagement and participation work. This will include ensuring that the proposed Young People’s Festival is supported by an appropriate longitudinal study of social impact and...

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