THE PRINCE’S FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN & THE ARTS
“It made me feel wow! I have never felt this happy. I wish I can hear a song every day.”
James, Children & the Arts’ Start project
The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts champions the power of the arts to transform the lives of disadvantaged children throughout the UK. Since 2006 they have worked with over 100,000 children and have ambitious plans to build on this in future.
Children & the Arts know that early engagement with the arts has a positive impact on children: raising aspirations, increasing confidence, improving communication skills and unlocking creativity. Through nurturing long-lasting partnerships between arts organisations UK-wide and schools in their local areas, Children & the Arts introduce children with little or no previous arts engagement to our rich cultural heritage. Regular participation in arts workshops and visits to their local arts venue allow the children involved to experience a world they may not have known existed.
Their two core programmes, Start and Quests both highlight the potential of learning outside the classroom, enabling children to see high quality performances and exhibitions at their local theatre, gallery, concert hall or museum and empowering their teachers to bring the inspiration back into the classroom. Their network across the UK is proof of the effectiveness of their model of linking arts organisations to schools in socially and economically deprived areas of their communities. It is a simple idea and it works:
“Our experiences with Start bring children back to the academic with a fresh mind, their approach to all the other subjects is much better when they have an active arts curriculum.”
Teacher, Roughlee Primary School
“I really liked the day, including the workshops because I was able to express my feelings in many different ways, I was able to play the dream the way that I liked it.”
Pupil, Aston Manor
GET INVOLVED…
Children & the Arts need to raise £1million each year to continue their work. With no government funding, they rely on the generosity of individuals, trusts and companies to reach this target.
They are the only charity currently working both throughout the UK and across all art forms. Without their projects, thousands of children will lose a rare opportunity to experience and personally benefit from the inspirational power of the arts.
