News: Funding Boost For Youth Arts Festival

Funding Boost For Youth Arts Festival

The Takeover at The Customs House in South Shields is ready for take-off as preparations get underway for its fifth year. The youth arts festival, held during the May half-term holiday, has received a funding boost of £31,000 from the Scottish Power Foundation. It is one of 25 organisations to share in £1.25m in the foundation’s annual awards.  

The Takeover is a week-long arts festival that is produced by, with and for young people to develop and showcase their leadership skills. It features music performances, theatre shows, visual art exhibitions and workshops.  t is led, planned, marketed, delivered and evaluated by the Takeover Team, a group of 14 to 25-year-olds who are recruited from diverse backgrounds and have varying leadership and arts experiences.

Izzy Finch (left), Learning and Participation Officer
at The Customs House, with rapper Kay Greyson
and young people taking part in Takeover 2018.

Izzy Finch, Learning and Participation Officer at The Customs House, said: “This is our second year receiving funding from the Scottish Power Foundation for our annual youth festival Takeover. We are absolutely thrilled to be one of the 25 projects selected and are committed to making sure Takeover 2019 is our most diverse festival yet.”  She added: “For many young people there are few clear and visible pathways into the arts as a professional career route. Takeover is one of the only opportunities young people south of the Tyne will encounter to be trusted and empowered to take over arts programming, take risks and work alongside professional mentors to deliver arts provision developed by young people for young people.”

The Takeover Team meet every Monday at The Customs House, between 4.30pm and 6.30pm, to plan the festival with Takeover Team co-ordinator Natasha Haws. If you are aged 11 to 25 and are interested in joining the Takeover Team, or would like to find out more, please e-mail izzy@customshouse.co.uk.

The Scottish Power Foundation was established in 2013 with the aim of making a significant and lasting contribution to society, enhancing the lives of people living in communities throughout the UK. It provides funding to registered charities involved in the advancement of education, environmental protection, citizenship and community development, science, the arts, heritage or culture, as well as the prevention of poverty and relief of disability and other disadvantages.

Mike Thornton, foundation chairman, said: “Each year it is incredible to see the applications received from projects across the UK that are making life-changing differences to people in their communities.  We’re so pleased to announce this year’s funding package for 25 projects across the UK, which are all doing incredible work to make a real difference to their communities and the people living in them.”