We are committed to giving every young person a chance to participate in our city’s wealth of cultural activities.
Young people and talent
The Mayor is committed to improving youth opportunities and tackling youth crime. ‘Time for Action’ launched in 2008 focuses on supporting young people, keeping them in education, addressing the needs of those in custody and expanding sport, music and cultural opportunities.
Role of the cultural sector
The cultural sector has a major role to play in ensuring that the lives of young Londoners are fulfilling, enjoyable and in helping them achieve their potential. London is fortunate to have a range of vibrant cultural organisations and local authority music and arts services that provide opportunities for young people, including those from deprived backgrounds.
Bridging the educational divide
Government thinking in recent years has focused on the differences in attainment between private and state-funded schools. Policies and funding, not to mention monitoring and measurement, have revolved around learning targets, qualifications and, above all, exam pass rates. As a result, while progress may have been made in improving the number of pupils achieving five GCSEs, the gulf in the ability of different London schools to offer rich, varied and high quality cultural education and experiences remains wide. Many educationalists and parents are, of course, well aware of this and understand that the technical skills, discipline and curiosity that a child can acquire can provide them with the confidence for future educational and professional success, as well as a lifetime of further interest and enjoyment.
Building on what works
Critical to developing a strategy for high-quality cultural education across London is to build upon the excellent work that already exists, and to ‘join up’ the capital's vast number of projects and initiatives. The Mayor is keen to bring together different providers and share resources, and to make it easier for Londoners to understand what opportunities are available to them. Above all, the GLA is committed to helping young people access a diverse, rich and challenging range of cultural experiences.
Young people and music
The GLA has been working with multiple agencies to develop a strategy for music education in London. There is much excellent work going on in London but provision can be patchy. A GLA Music Education Strategy was launched in March 2010.
Rhythm of London
One of the outcomes of the work so far has been the launch of the Rhythm of London festival as a two-day Londonwide in July 2009, that showcased the best of music-making for and by young people. The event was accompanied by the Rhythm of London handbook, published in September 2009. This is a guide to the services, facilities and resources in London that provide music education opportunities for youth people.
This year the festival ran as a week of events from 17-24 April 2010.
Children's Art Day
This is a national campaign that the GLA is supporting in London, with the active participation of all the capital’s galleries, museums and schools. This week-long celebration in July provides opportunities for thousands of children, families and teachers to encourage an interest and develop expertise and skills in the visual arts.
Supplementary education
The GLA is discussing with a range of partners and funding bodies the opportunities that might exist to directly support a number of beacon providers of out of schools educational activities to expand what they do in some of the most deprived communities, but it is also taking more immediate practical steps. For instance, the Mayor recently held a reception event at City Hall to promote the work of a range of organisations offering Latin and Greek tuition to children. Teachers from state schools were invited to attend and learn what’s on offer.
Publications
Draft Cultural Strategy Executive Summary
