Access €urope - Funding Conference 9th March 2012

Registration is now open for Access €urope, a one day conference exploring European funding for creative and cultural organisations.

Confirmed contributors to the discussion include Sir Graham Watson MEP; Christoph Jankowski, European Information Manager at Visiting Arts, the EU Culture Programme Contact Point in the UK; Guillaume Le Palud and Oliver Raud, facilitators for Interreg programmes and Victoria Wiggins, Project Manager at Leonardo UK National Agency. Kenny Legg of Enterprise Europe Network South West and representatives from UKTI and Ignite will explain support available to creative businesses in the South West for innovation, partnership, export development and intellectual property protection.  The day will also offer excellent opportunities for networking and discussion.

There are 50 free places for Somerset-based creative businesses (one per organisation) – don’t delay, register today!  The conference is supported by Somerset County Council.

The conference will take place on Friday 9th March from 09.30am to 16.30pm at The Genesis Centre, Somerset College, Wellington Road, Taunton TA1 5AX.  If you have any questions about registration, please call Sue on 01823 666641.

Sheherezade - European Story Telling project

Here is the latest project report from Patsy Lang:

Greetings from Alden Biesen, Belgium! www.alden-bieson.be . Iwan and I attended the start up meeting on the New European Story Telling project, Sheherazade. The lead partner for this project is Alden Biesen, an amazing facility, an old castle now owned and operated by the Flemish Ministry of Culture. This is the location of an International Story Telling Festival every year. The project has 9 partners, 2 from Belgium, and one from each of France, Austria, Ireland, Sweden, UK, Norway, & Bulgaria, and is a Grundtvig Multi-lateral project.

The aim of the project is to get story telling used be trainers and educators to increase intercultural dialogue, second language learning, integration into society, and to teach values and knowledge. The target groups will be migrants, refugees, immigrants, who all need support with settling in a new culture. Story Telling is a very good way to tell your story, encourage cultural exchange, secure your sense of identity, and to learn to use a new language.

The 2 year project has 2 components, a research section where each country will find out what Story Telling is currently used in the adult education/training arena, followed by a pilot run in each country to establish good practice in using story telling in adult learning. The outcomes will be a manual on how to use story telling in various adult learning contexts, a pilot for training teachers and trainers in the use of story telling leading to a Grundvig course, and a final conference to disseminate all that has been learned.

We have had a fabulous time at this amazing facility with very good people and very good food!

Superact supports Artist in Residence at Bath Royal United Hospital

A series of musical and creative workshops aimed at boosting self-esteem, benefitting wellbeing and aiding recovery is being offered to patients, staff and visitors at Royal United Hospital, Bath through a project called Soundbite: Hospital Notes.

Rosanna Campbell, a young professional musician who recently graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Hons in Music with English Literature, approached Art at the Heart,  the charitably funded arts programme for the Hospital, to volunteer during her final year when she established music workshops for Combe Ward. She will be the Musician in Residence, a post funded through Superact working in partnership with Art at the Heart of the RUH.

For more information on the Project vist the UK Projects Section of the Website and for more information on Rosanna please visit her website www.musica-music.co.uk

PhD Volunteer Lucetta Johnson originally developed the Hospital Notes project 2 years ago for Art at the Heart of the RUH. In the first year funding for the project came from Awards for All and Rosie volunteered for the first 6 months of this project.  Funding was then received from the Quartet Foundation and Art at the Heart then funded Rosie to work throughout 2011.

Further information on Art at the Heart and evaluations from the project so far are available at www.ruh.nhs.uk/art

Picture courtesy of Art at the Heart of the RUH

Free SEPE courses for 16- 19 year olds

Superact are delivering free courses for 16-19 year olds aimed at developing creativity and employability skills throughout Somerset.

The four week SEPE (Supporting Employability & Personal Effectiveness) part time programme will deliver courses in music, visual arts, theatre and creative writing, with trained artists will on hand to help make CDs, stage a play or an exhibition. There is no writing, studying or exams but there will be a formal qualification, an Edexcel BTEC Level 1 Award, at the end for participants who complete the course.

“This type of qualification can really help young people stand out from the crowd, particularly in a tough employment market” explains Katharine Lane, Superact Associate Director.  She continues: “ We focus on the ‘soft’ skills that employers are really keen on, such as team work, good communication and presentation and we have a great time too!”

In addition, students will benefit from many advantages such as free sessions at sports centres, local shop discounts and access to computer rooms at Somerset College.

For more details about the course and to register before the 31st January 2012, please give us a call on 01823 66 66 41, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
or complete the following online registration form http://www.superact.org.uk/index.php/sepe-course-registration