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Youth Arts in D&G Catriona McGhie
from FOCUS
by DG Unlimited
DGU Youth Arts Advocate
DGU, in conjunction with its pARTners group, commissioned the Articulate Culture Trust to develop a Youth Arts Framework for Dumfries and Galloway. We’ve always believed that it’s vital to understand what kind of arts provision is already out there and to give young people a voice in deciding exactly what is needed to make youth arts in the region the best that it can be.
Thanks to funding from the Holywood Trust, we were able to recruit Catriona McGhie, a freelance Creative Producer from Stranraer, as our Youth Arts Advocate. The aim of the role is to develop the work of the Youth Arts Framework, to work alongside existing organisations supporting young people’s involvement in the arts and for Catriona to speak directly to her peers, bringing their views to the fore.
Catriona is passionate about both Dumfries & Galloway and the Arts. As a young person living within the region, she is aware of some of the issues which young people face when trying to engage with the Arts, some of which she has faced herself, and is keen to help others to gain new experiences. “DGU has opened doors for me and I would love to be part of that, ensuring other young people have the chance of similar opportunities.”
Catriona has been considering the 6 key recommendations from the framework and has selected Recommendations • 3 (Develop clear progression pathways for young people to broaden and deepen arts and cultural engagement)
• 6 (Develop and build on opportunities for children and young people to have a meaningful voice in cultural planning and provision) to be her main area for research and development.
Like many things in our lives, the work of our YAA had been put on hold due to COVID-19 but we are delighted that Catriona has been able to get back out and about, building on her earlier work. Please contact comms.dgu@gmail if you would like more information or to be part of the conversation.
More information on Catriona and her work can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ catrionamcghiemusic
