Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018
299. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €1 million allocated to Creative Ireland as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds were spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24307/18]
View answerMy Department was allocated €1 million for Creative Ireland in 2018. However, I have been able to secure an increase of €0.25 million, bringing the total allocation to €1.25 million.
All funding from my Department will be allocated towards initiatives in the Creative Youth programme.
To date, my Department has spent €41,000 of the €1.25 million on Creative Schools. 150 primary and post-primary schools across the country will participate in the pilot of Creative Schools and work with artists, creative practitioners and educators to develop their own unique programme of arts and creative work, connecting them to the full range of local and regional cultural resources and opportunities.
In addition, all participating schools will also receive a further range of supports including a once-off grant and training for teachers in the school.
Applications for Creative Schools closed in May and participating schools will be announced shortly. Work will begin in schools in the selected schools in September 2018.
There are seventeen actions identified for 2018/19 under the Creative Youth Plan. These actions are either the expansion of existing pilot initiatives or new programmes being piloted and encompass some of the commitments in the Arts in Education Charter.
Many of these initiatives are due to begin later this year. This includes:
- A Creative Clusters scheme will be piloted under the school excellence fund.
Applications for Creative Clusters are open until 23 June. I encourage all primary and post-primary schools to apply to participate in this initiative. We are looking to include a wide range of schools, with a broad national spread.
- Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD
The primary school CPD initiative, ‘Teacher-Artist Partnership’ was delivered in twenty education centres during the summer as part of Creative Ireland in 2017. This was followed by artist residencies in schools between September and November. This initiative was supported by my Department, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and the Arts Council and is operating again in 2018.
- Arts in Junior Cycle
Arts in Junior Cycle embodies the principles and key skills which underpin the new Framework for Junior Cycle and provide teachers with practical, creative methodologies to use in their classroom. This initiative is guided by the principles expressed in the Arts in Education Charter and originated from an Arts Council and Junior Cycle Teachers (JCT) pilot partnership initiative in 2014.
- Local Creative Youth Partnerships will be established on a pilot basis.
Building on the model for Local Arts Education Partnerships contained in the Arts in Education Charter, Local Creative Youth Partnerships will be established to provide support and delivery mechanisms for optimisation of local creativity resources. As part of this, new and existing collaborative youth creativity initiatives across the country, will be able to apply for funding, based on provided guidelines, administered through the ETB network. Successful applicants will be determined by local committees which will consist of a range of representatives from Local Authorities, ETBs, and local arts and community representatives. The concept will be piloted in three ETB areas in 2018.
