News

The Big Link Up – still time to get involved!

16 November 2010

Organisations across the country are getting their plans in place to join the Big Link Up, with events taking place from Nottingham to Newcastle and Birmingham to Bath, to name just a few! Check the

Big Link Up site for more details. If there isn’t one near you, then there are still lots of opportunities to jump on board!Bring together your colleagues over a cup of tea, watch the live stream,  think about the future of cultural learning and let us know your thoughts and ideas.If you are a teacher, there are some fantastic films on our site now with Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere and broadcaster Kirsty Young talking to young people about why arts and culture matter to them, and what they learn through it. These offer a framework for discussion with your young people, either in the classroom or through an assembly.There are still a very few places left at our national event at the British Museum on the 23rd of November, so do get in touch quickly if you haven’t had an invitation and would like one.Here is a quick reminder of what it is all about...This November the Cultural Learning Alliance (CLA) is launching The Big Link Up, an initiative to celebrate cultural learning and debate how we can deliver meaningful access to culture for children and young people in this difficult  climate.The Big Link Up will explore new ways of supporting educational and cultural partners to link up and deliver the best possible learning experiences for the children and families in their local area.The Big Link Up will result in a national strategy document which all partners can use to set priorities and make their case for cultural learning.The Big Link Up will be launched through a series of events and interventions delivered across the country in the last week of November 2010.We want teachers, artists, organisations, parents, young people, and policy makers across the country to take part and there are various ways to do so:•     

Host a Link Up Event

: organise a Link-Up Event in your local area with cultural practitioners, teachers and members of your local cultural learning network.•     

Run an Assembly Event

: Organise a cultural learning Assembly in your school. You can celebrate the cultural learning work you already do and engage young people in a conversation about the importance of cultural learning.•     

Watch the Big Link Up Live

: Join the The Big Link Up National Event broadcast live online and have your say on the campaign questions.  Hear from Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries on his vision for cultural learning.•     

The Big Link Up National Event

will bring invited cultural learning leaders, teachers and decision-makers together with local partners to discuss how to maintain and further this activity for children and young peopleIf your organisation is holding a conference, seminar or event in November about culture and learning we would love to hear from you and find out how we can work together.Go to http://thebiglinkup.org.uk/ or e-mail team@biglinkup.org.uk to find out more.