We EMPOWER

As part of our vision for culture we want to empower, enable and inspire.

Our services have worked with borough schools, colleges and other partners for many years to inspire our young people and support the cultural curriculum.

These activities have all helped to develop skills in our young people and foster a lifelong interest in culture:

• Creative schools workshops at Orleans House Gallery
• Teacher’s Art Forum
• Cover Story and Battle of the Books
• Curriculum-time swimming lessons
• After school coached sporting activities
• Richmond Music Trust’s high quality music tuition
• London Youth Games 

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted opportunities for young people however. 1 in 3 Londoners aged 18 – 24 have been furloughed or made redundant and youth unemployment in Richmond has increased by 215%.¹ This is reflected in the culture and creative industries which saw more than a quarter of people aged 25 and under leaving creative occupations during 2020.²

Over the next ten years we want to do more to empower individuals to reach their potential and facilitate a diverse and resilient cultural sector in Richmond which supports those committed to developing their practice, alongside building employment and skills needed for the borough to recover, grow and thrive. We will continue to support cultural education and learning and help young people pursue careers in culture & the creative industries and we know there is more we can do to enable professional practitioners and organisations to establish themselves in Richmond, specifically around access to more affordable space and resources; promotion and profile building and networking and collaboration.

We also want to provide more coherent leadership in the local cultural sector, particularly within Richmond’s thriving voluntary sector which is highly valued in the borough and provides many opportunities for local people to participate in culture. Local organisations told us they need support to better serve their members and users and meet demand, whilst managing limited resources and funding. Over the next decade we will find new ways to support capacity building, collaboration and partnership working in Richmond’s cultural sector to maximise benefit and impact, enabling local organisations, practitioners and volunteers to contribute to our vision for culture and achieve success.

Building a sustainable, resilient and innovative cultural sector in Richmond will help the borough to attract new investment, partners and opportunities and inspire and empower all those who live in, work in and visit Richmond.

“Have visible civic pride in local culture and promote that”

How we will do this

• We will consider how culture can support youth employment and skills development by working with the Enterprise, Employment & Skills team to find recruitment and training opportunities specifically for those currently underrepresented in the cultural sector and identify where there may be opportunities for jobs within local developments.
• Over the next five years we will deliver targeted programmes which offer volunteering opportunities, industry masterclasses and placements for young people considering a career in the cultural sector, beginning in 2021 with our Cultural Careers programme.
• We will commit to supporting competitive practice and ensure there are pathways for talented young people aged 14 - 18 to develop their professional practice through programmes and participation opportunities including the Dance Network and the London Youth Games.
• Our libraries will continue to be a key resource in learning and development, delivering family learning activities and The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge; offering opportunities for adult learners as part of the Festival of Learning and supporting young people and job seekers with career and work experience.
• We will continue to support a range of volunteering opportunities in the borough’s cultural sector, empowering local people to learn new skills, meet new people and contribute to the borough’s cultural life.
• We will support the growth and development of the local voluntary sector by facilitating annual opportunities for cultural practitioners and organisations to come together to showcase, network and exchange ideas, skills and knowledge.
• We will propose new grant programmes and funding opportunities which will empower local people and organisations to contribute to Culture Richmond and enable us to find new models of service delivery and provide better value for money.

Next: We make SPACE & PLACE