Fostering young talent

At the AMA we're interested to learn about the great work that's going on in the sector to support young people – it’s an important part of our diversity and inclusion strategy. “Contributing to an increase in workforce diversity is one of our priorities,” says Cath Hume, our Chief Executive Officer. “We work predominately with people who think about audiences – fundraisers, marketers, ticketing teams and leaders. We believe that when our workforce is diverse we will have a far greater chance of engaging the diverse audiences we talk about.”

“They work alongside staff in deciding the artistic programme and in making all staff appointments”

Attracting young people from a wider pool of experience and backgrounds is a key element of diversifying the workforce. It’s important to have role models within the sector so that young talent can see these careers as for them.

Reaching out

The AMA is trying different ways of reaching out to young people, from getting involved in local primary school careers days through to forging partnerships with universities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England.

Cath continues: “We’re currently working with The Prince’s Trust and cultural organisations in Norwich to develop a pilot project creating access to cultural sector careers for young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs). If organisations based in East Anglia are interested in getting involved then they should contact us.”

Opening up opportunities to all young people is key. A top tip from the Young People’s Skills Programme team at the London Transport Museum is to have clear, honest and accessible recruitment, identifying candidates by potential without requiring academic achievements.

Initiatives for young people

In the latest issue of our membership publication JAM – the journal of arts marketing we look at a range of initiatives from apprenticeships, pre-employment courses and volunteering opportunities, through to programmes involving young people in the development of an organisation’s offer. These opportunities enable young people to fulfil their potential whatever their backgrounds and many of our members are engaging in this work with a variety of initiatives.

The Everyman and Playhouse in Liverpool, for example, has provided opportunities for young people aged 14 to 25 since 2012 through its Young Everyman Playhouse programme (YEP). Encompassing six strands –­ actors, directors, marketers, producers, technicians and writers ­ YEP encourages young people to create many exciting experiences for different audiences.

Peter Greggs is a graduate of its marketing programme and is now Marketing Officer for Everyman and Playhouse theatres and the AMA member representative for the north-west region. He says: “YEP was a great opportunity for me to pursue my passion for marketing at a young age and be surrounded by like-minded peers. Now, it’s heart-warming to see that continuing to happen for other young people too.”

Putting young people at the heart of an organisation’s decision-making can also have a significant impact on diversity. In its Board Diversity case study on AMAculturehive, Contact in Manchester explains how young people have genuinely led the organisation since it restructured its governance in the mid-1990s.

Matt Fenton, Contact’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive, says: “They work alongside staff in deciding the artistic programme and in making all staff appointments. They also act as full board members. The result is an outstanding, diverse and accessible artistic programme for everyone. 70% of our audience are under 35 and 30 to 40% are black, Asian, or minority ethnic.”

Norwich Film Festival

Young people are also creating their own opportunities and arts organisations. At the age of 25 Kellen Playford founded the Norwich Film Festival in 2009 to help a friend get his short film screened. Since then the festival has grown into an international annual event with ticket sales rising from 184 in 2015 to 1,848 in 2017. Over 490 films were submitted to the 2017 festival from 37 countries and events are held at more than ten venues across the city.

The festival has six patrons including Olivia Coleman, Brian Cox and Stephen Fry and this year’s judges include the actor Alfred Molina and screenwriter Andrea Gibb. Even Hugh Jackman is a Friend.

This has all been achieved through the hard work and commitment of young volunteers. Matt Ecclestone is Festival Producer and a trustee, and works full-time for the AMA as Marketing and Membership Officer. He says: “The festival is entirely run and organised by volunteers. We have a core team of four who are involved year-round, plus about 25 volunteer film judges. Then in October we recruit young people from both local universities to help run the festival in November.

“However, we’ve reached a point where its success and growth is increasingly difficult to sustain as volunteers and with a shoestring budget. In 2017 we became a registered charity and a British Independent Film Awards Qualifying Festival. The next step is to invest in the infrastructure of the organisation, which is hard when we’re all working for free and our time is challenged.”

Remunerating young talent

Remunerating young talent is important to enable individuals and young organisations to develop and succeed.

In his JAM article about developing young talent, Reece Williams, a young poet, producer, peer mentor and trustee of Contact, writes: “We can’t expect our emerging talent to pay a bill with exposure or a platform – I know, I’ve tried! Wherever remotely possible, we need to find ways to financially support them … we need to genuinely believe in the worth of investing in our young people.”

There are many arts, cultural and heritage organisations that are doing great work in providing opportunities to help identify and foster young people’s talents. However, more can be done to provide a sector-wide, sustained approach and we are keen to hear from organisations about how this could be achieved.

Jacqueline Haxton is Editor of the Arts Marketing Association.
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The AMA is committed to having an impact and welcomes ideas and offers of partnerships, so please get in touch. You can email Jacqueline at [email protected].

This article, sponsored and contributed by AMACultureHive, is part of a series sharing resources and learning from the online library for the sector.