Barclaycard
Using music and the arts as a vehicle to teach life skills to young people
We’re working with Barclaycard as part of its ongoing support for the live music industry. The activity sits alongside wider activity with the Barclays Community Football Fund, all with the collective aim to use music, sports, and in particular football, as vehicles to teach life skills to young people. Here’s what we’ve done so far on music.
Aaja Music, Deptford, South London
This local grassroots music organisation were forced out of their pre-Covid space. We helped them set up a new long-term new home on Deptford High Street, by kickstarting their underground transformation of an old M&S unit. We did a full partition of the space to become a workable live music and community space, complete with radio studio. They’re set to open to the public in 2024.
“It’s lovely knowing that the space that’s going to be ours for ten years is being handbuilt by these young people.”
Sam, Co-Founder, Aaja Music
Nottingham Arts Theatre
We helped this city centre theatre turn their large hall upstairs, previously unused due to water damage and clutter, into a usable rehearsal space – now a clean bright space able to accommodate an extra 150-200 young people during the summer holidays for theatre and arts groups, and for external exhibitions and local events. We also transformed less than desirable dressing rooms into creative spaces to attract more acts and groups to hire the theatre. All to ensure financial stability and a brighter future for the theatre.
Co-funded through our programme with Nottingham City Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
“A major aim of the project was to significantly improve accommodation available at the venue so that bookings – our major source of income – would increase. There has be significant interest from new users and, as a result, bookings’ income has increased.
reported by NOTTINGHAM ARTS THEATRE
We have been able to increase youth provision with a new group dedicated to work with school refusal pupils and those with specific learning difficulties. Our adult education provision now offers increased assisted places for people from low socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Norfolk Community Arts, Norwich
This space is used by various groups to introduce art/culture to young people – playing instruments, songwriting, singing, using arts as social/emotional development and to promote wellbeing/resilience. As a heritage building, feedback stated groups “would love to use it but it’s too tired/shabby“, so we repaired walls and redecorated their main performing space/reception/offices/toilets, all with the aim to drive revenue and participation to rent out space to local groups. Co-funded as part of our programme with Norwich City Council.
“Our regular users and tenants are now benefitting from an improved space in which to operate. We are also now a considerably more attractive proposition to potential new hirers of the building thus improving our income generating potential from this activity. We have also been able to fulfill the terms of our lease in maintaining the fabric of the building as we approach the negotiation of a new lease.”
NORFOLK COMMUNITY ARTS
The Fulford Arms, York
Our first project in our programme of work with City of York Council saw us help popular York music venue, The Fulford Arms, to become more accessible for gig-goers with mobility issues or physical disabilities, by creating a ramp at the entrance of the venue and building a sound booth to provide a safer experience for audiences and music tech teams.
Gabalfa Youth & Community Centre
Our latest project in South Wales – helping to create a multi-purpose media studio where young people can learn and develop their skills including music production, live vocal and musical instrument sessions, podcasting, and editing, where there is currently no such provision for young people north of the city.
This project was also supported by Cardiff Commitment and Cardiff Council, with all of the paint provided by our partners at Dulux.
