Culture borough consolation prize will fund jobs project for young people

Lambeth’s bid to be London Borough of Culture has missed out, with the first awards going to Waltham Forest in 2019 and Brent in 2020.

The borough did get one of six “Cultural Impact” awards with £200,000 funding for a local project that will see Lambeth council and local cultural organisation join in a project to provide skills, jobs and opportunities for young people and people underrepresented in the current cultural workforce.

The project will

• Expand the “revolutionary” youth-run  ERIC careers festival that involves creative companies and showcases the best young local cultural talent
• Support 25 people from groups under-represented in cultural workplaces to become “cultural leaders of the future”
• Work with the Southbank Centre, the British Film Institute, the National Theatre and contemporary dance company Rambert to develop modules for primary schools that will focus on buildings and locations, a new borough cultural trail, and learning tools
• Support 30 paid work placements, including some for people not in education, training or employment, through The Old Vic theatre working with five cultural organisations across different art forms
• Enable the Southbank Centre to produce the WOW Girls project in five locations to support girls from 16 to 18 who are interested in cultural careers to make changes in their own communities
• Develop a new “lab” for BAME artists backed by Creative Skillset and B3 Media TalentLab, to improve commercial and digital skills and make industry contacts.

Florence Eshalomi, a local councillor and London Assembly member for Lambeth and Southwark, said: “Although Lambeth missed out on the winning spots, it has been great to see Lambeth’s Next Generation project receive a Cultural Impact Award as recognition for all of the hard work and enthusiasm they have put into the bid, and receive a pot of funding to go towards a bespoke local project.

“This competition has truly brought the community together and highlighted the amount of talent and creativity we have in our local area.”

Council leader Lib Peck said the Next Generation project would increase participation and deliver cultural opportunities for people who might not feel able to access all the culture Lambeth, and London had to offer. She was confident that it would inspire a new generation of cultural leaders who would be more diverse and representative of local communities.

“While Lambeth isn’t the official Borough of Culture, we will continue to work together with all our cultural organisations, big and small, to be a beacon of cultural brilliance and aspire to deliver as many parts of our bid as possible,” Peck said.

All 22 bids from London councils will be on display at County Hall until 13 March.

Total funding for the awards is £3.5 million.