The National Centre for Writing is delighted to announce its role in leading a new Transforming Leadership Fund Project for New Anglia LEP Culture Board called Collaboration: Place: Change
Collaboration: Place: Change is an exciting new leadership programme designed to equip current and future leaders with the skills they need to drive social and economic change across Norfolk and Suffolk.
The 30-month programme will support two cohorts of leaders, focusing on developing collaborative leadership skills, innovative thinking and place-based awareness. The programme will be delivered to 40 participants using a mix of physical and virtual means.
Through a partnership between New Anglia LEP Culture Board, Clore Leadership, Achates Philanthropy and the University of East Anglia, National Centre for Writing will create a model for place-based leadership development.
Hedley Swain, Area Director, South East, Arts Council England, said:
‘It is vital that our leaders, both now and in the future, are equipped with the skills that they need to drive further success across the arts and culture sector. But those skills must also ensure that leaders are aware of the specific needs of the place that they are working in and that they can respond to them appropriately. The National Centre for Writing’s Collaboration: Place: Change perfectly marries these two challenges and I’m excited to see what its participants can achieve.’
‘It is vital that our leaders are equipped with the skills that they need to drive further success across the arts and culture sector’
Chris Gribble, Chief Executive, National Centre for Writing, said:
‘The New Anglia LEP Culture Board has led the way in place-based collaborative partnerships in culture and we are delighted to have secured these funds from Arts Council England to support our further work across Suffolk and Norfolk. There are over 1,000 cultural business in our region making it a home for world-class art and culture and the collective impact on our economy, society and environment is massive. Collaboration: Place: Change is an incredibly exciting programme to support a resilient and diverse cohort of established and emerging cultural leaders to identify and address shared challenges and champion inclusive growth, to think beyond the needs of their own organisations and audiences and consider how they can contribute to wider shared needs in our region. Our aim is to drive concerted and sustained change for the benefit of everyone who lives, works and visits the East of England.’
The lead partners have been awarded £330,000 by ACE towards a project costing £457,500 to develop and deliver two cycles of leadership support to 40 leaders and next level leaders from the culture, Creative Industries and HEI sectors in our region between October 2019 and March 2022. The aim is that 20% of participants will be freelancers, 15% come from BAED backgrounds and 10% self-declaring as disabled in order to ensure we reflect the communities in which we work across our region.
Doug Field, chair of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, said:
‘This is an innovative programme which fits with our sector skills plans and the vision in our economic strategy for a dynamic and pioneering cultural sector. It will equip 40 current and future leaders in this sector with the skills they need to drive social and economic change in our region through increased collaboration with higher education institutions. Additionally, it will lead to a stronger connection between generations of leaders and between the freelance, micro and small and medium-sized enterprises.’
Helen Wilson, New Anglia LEP Chair, said:
‘Arts Council England’s backing for this New Anglia LEP Culture Board-led initiative is both welcomed and important for our region. Our belief in culture-led, inclusive growth for Norfolk and Suffolk requires us to have a skilled, diverse and resilient cohort of leaders in the culture sector. The Collaboration: Place: Change programme will help us achieve this goal.’
Sarah Barrow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Arts and Humanities, University of East Anglia said:
‘As a pioneering British University with a global reach and reputation, University of East Anglia is committed to ensuring its research and expertise is felt close to home too. We’re delighted to be a partner in the design, delivery and funding of Collaboration: Place: Change, making a real contribution to the future leadership ecology and economy of the cultural sector in our region.’
Hilary Carty, Director, Clore Leadership, said:
‘Clore Leadership is delighted to be a partner in the design and delivery of Collaboration: Place: Change. Our experience in creating innovative and tailored leadership programmes for the cultural sector and commitment to helping cultural leaders make change happen put us at the forefront of leadership development in the UK and we’re excited that we can bring this experience to the partnership.’
Caroline McCormick. Director, Achates Philanthropy said:
‘Achates is delighted to be partners with the National Centre for Writing in the Collaboration: Place: Change programme, bringing our knowledge and experience of how the relationship between art and audiences can support impact, sustainability and growth for the cultural sector.’
Read the Arts Council England announcement here.
For more information or to register your interest, please email chris@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk