Friday 12 September 2008 at The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children
This working symposium focused on consultation with children in the arts
sector, and was jointly organised by The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children and
Children’s Books Ireland.
The symposium was specifically designed for those creating and delivering
arts projects interested in consultation with children (age 3 - 14). Consultation
is increasingly recognised as an essential process for understanding the
needs of our audiences, and the aim of this event was to explore methods
of successfully consulting with children as a means to truly enriching their
cultural lives. The Ark and Children’s Books Ireland were delighted
to work together to address these relevant issues. Delegates from all over
Ireland filled each of the 80 places available at the symposium, representing
all areas of the arts, including theatre, museums, galleries, libraries
and community arts.
Speakers included Liam O’Dwyer, Chief Executive of the Irish Youth Foundation followed by the symposium Chair Sheila Greene, Director of the Children’s Research Centre at Trinity College, who set the context of the day with her address Consulting with Children: How and why?
The symposium also included presentations of inspirational international projects where children have been actively involved in artistic policy and practice development. Liz Moran, Artistic Director of the macrobert in Scotland, who developed a young consultancy scheme to involve young people directly in the decision making of macrobert, was joined by Charlotte Kelly, who has been a Young Consultant with the arts centre for the past seven years. Karen Bertrams, from ProBiblio in Holland, presented The Library of 100 Talents, a ground breaking project which developed new library spaces for and with children. Adam Graham, Programme & Production Manager of Leeds Young People’s Film Festival, which has operated a young consultancy scheme for the past 7 years, was joined by Ruby Lloyd-Burman, a Young Consultant for the festival.
The presentations were followed by practical workshops, providing participants with an opportunity to up-skill in this valuable area. These workshops were delivered by Playtrain, a UK based provider of hands-on training, creative consultation and action research for organisations working with children.
This symposium was generously supported by The Irish Youth Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies and The Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Click here to download a copy of the post-event resource pack in PDF format, which includes summaries of the presentations and workshops, as well as a reflection of the response to the symposium by participants on the day.
