This year is the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus Plus programme, including its predecessors, Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action. In the last 10 years, these programmes have provided over £20m to UK partners in projects involving the arts, culture, heritage and the creative industries.
There are nearly 18 months remaining of the UK’s full membership of the EU, during which there will be a number of deadlines to which UK organisations can submit applications. In addition, there seems to be a reasonable chance that the UK will continue to have some relationship with Erasmus + post Brexit.
On 8 November in Leeds, Euclid, in conjunction with the Leeds 2023 bid for European Capital of Culture, and with the involvement of the official UK contact point for Erasmus+, will host an Information Day which will:
- explain the range of opportunities from the Erasmus + programme
- provide information on previous successful applications through presentations from successful applicants and the launch of a Directory of successful projects in the last 10 years, and
- enable delegates to speak with representatives from the official UK contact point, as well as with successful applicants.
The morning will focus on details of the programme, its strands, criteria, deadlines, etc.
Geoffrey Brown, Director of Euclid, will give an overview of EU funding, explain how Erasmus + fits into the various EU opportunities, and provide a summary of the implications of Brexit and the likely scenarios post March 2019.
There will then be presentations from Michael Trueman from Ecorys and Kathy McArdle from the British Council – these organisations together form the UK contact point for the Erasmus + programme. These speakers will explain the various opportunities provided by the programme that are most relevant to the arts, culture, heritage and creative industries. This will be followed by a Q&A session with these speakers who will answer your questions about the criteria and practical requirements for these programmes.
The afternoon will focus on success stories and how to develop a successful project.
The afternoon will be opened by Julie Ward, MEP. Julie is a Labour and Co-operative Party Member of the European Parliament for the North West of England. As such she is a member of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and, in turn, part of the second largest group in the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Julie serves on the Parliament’s Culture & Education Committee, and the Regional Development Committee and the Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights. She is also a member of the Labour Party’s Policy Commission on Education and Children. She is the co-founder of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Child Rights and is the author of a major parliamentary report on Intercultural Dialogue for Education, Diversity and Fundamental Values. First elected in May 2014, Julie previously had a long career in the cultural sector, working with marginalised communities using arts as a tool for wellbeing, empowerment and social change. Prior to being elected as an MEP, Julie had been working with partners in the EU and beyond for more than a decade.
Julie will also launch a new Directory which will list 300 or so successful projects in the last 10 years – all delegates will receive a FREE copy of this Directory. This will be followed by a number of presentations from successful projects (information on these projects will be included in the Directory):
- Tina Ellen Lee from Opera Circus, a small performing arts organisation based in Dorset, who have had funding for several projects working with partners in Bosnia & Herzogovina, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Serbia
- Giles Agis from Brouhaha International, an arts and cultural development agency based in Liverpool that provides a range of services, including an international street festival, outreach and education programmes, information services, events packages and the production of new performance work. Brouhaha have been successful in over 12 applications to Erasmus+ and over 50 to its predecessor programmes, with partners in Europe and across the world
- Karen Murgatroyd and Sally Hall from Leeds City Council, who will speak about their successful projects which have involved schools, local authorities, universities and cultural organisations in Leeds and other countries.
Following these presentations, there will be an opportunity for delegates to meet in small groups with all speakers to ask questions, seek clarification and receive feedback on any project ideas they may have. Each speaker will host a group chat for around 20 minutes, and delegates can then move to a different speaker. This should enable delegates to meet with at least 4 speakers.
This event is aimed at:
- Organisations and individuals working in the arts, culture, heritage and the creative industries
- People working in the arts and heritage in areas relevant to the programme, including in HE, further education, adult education and schools, and with young people aged 13-30
- Local authorities
- Funding bodies and other agencies
The event will be held on 8 November 2017 at The Carriageworks in central Leeds, and is presented with the generous support of the Leeds 2023 bid to become European Capital of Culture. The event will start at 10am and conclude by 4.30pm. Lunch will be provided.
PLEASE NOTE THAT PLACES ARE LIMITED.
The delegate cost is £60 – or £30 “early bird” for those registering before 20 October. To make a booking select this event from the menu on the left of this webpage.
If you planning to attend this event, you may wish to register your organisation on the Creative Partners website (www.creative.partners) which provides a platform for creative organisations to search for partners – and to add listings of their own organisations. There are now over 200 listings from over 30 countries (including France, Ireland, Spain and the UK). It is free to add your organisation to this website.