Do you have an idea for a creative event for children and young people that you would like to see happen?
Cruinniú na nÓg 2020 – the national day of creativity for children and young people – will take place on Saturday 13th June this year. The model is similar to Culture Night except that events are held during the day, and focused on providing children and young people with opportunities to explore their creativity.
This year they are asking collectives of any combination of children’s groups, youth organisations, arts centres, heritage, environmental or educational organizations etc. to submit an Expression of Interest to work together to allow for wider accessibility to Cruinniú na nÓg 2020. This could happen in number of ways; perhaps you could create a collaborative project together, or have a programme of different events in your area that take place in several venues. It does not mean that one organization must run all of the events, it’s about working and linking together to provide the best range of opportunities for young people of all ages in your community.
So if you work with children and young people in a youth club, crèche or school, this is a great opportunity to develop something really special. Have a chat with them and see what they’re interested in and develop a plan together …maybe they’ve always wanted to make a film, do some incredible science experiments, or explore their own community in a creative way. If you’ve got an idea, we can help make it happen. Or if you’re a theatre company, arts centre or involved in culture and creativity in some other way and are looking to engage a new young audience, this is a great opportunity to make that happen.
The guiding principle of Cruinniú 2020 is to empower children and young people to develop their creative expression by providing opportunities for them to participate in creative activities in their local area. Events can take all shapes and sizes from visual and performing arts to workshops and adventures in heritage, culture, science or technology. The emphasis though should be on ‘doing’, ‘making’, ‘creating’. All events should be focussed on children and young people (up to 18), and we particularly welcome applications that gives access to groups of children who haven’t had such opportunities before.
If you are interested in organising an event we would like to hear from you. Leitrim County Council can provide financial support towards the costs– particularly the costs of hiring artists or other practitioners and the costs of materials. Grants will typically be in the region of €500 to €2,000. While there is no fixed number of awards, there will generally be a larger number of lesser value awards and a small number of higher value ones. Depending on the number of applications received, it may not be possible to fund all applicants and in that case available funding will be allocated to those which best meet the objectives of Leitrim County Council’s Culture and Creativity Strategy. While the focus of most events will be on Saturday 13th, some events can also be held the day before for those groups, especially schools, that meet during the week.
CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: WEDNESDAY 1ST APRIL 2020
Completed application forms must be marked ‘Cruinniú na nÓg 2020’ and returned before midnight on Wednesday the 1st of April using the file transfer platform www.wetransfer.com to creativeleitrim@gmail.com or by post to Leitrim County Council, Áras an Chontae, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim.
For further information contact Alice Dixon, Creative Ireland Projects Manager on 071 96 21694 or email creativeleitrim@gmail.com
