THE creativity of young people will be the major talking point at a conference at The Sage Gateshead today.
Baroness Estelle Morris leads a list of distinguished speakers at the Creative Exchange conference which will be attended by teachers, arts professionals and local authority representatives among others.
The question to be addressed is: “If creativity and innovation is the lifeblood of the UK economy, can we afford not to invest in the creative capacity (potential and leadership) of our young people?”
Baroness Morris said ahead of the conference: “For too long creativity and academic learning have been seen as conflicting with each other whereas how children learn is far more complex than that.
“We have made progress in recent years but in times of economic difficulties there is a risk that we go backwards and discard the teaching of creativity as some sort of ‘optional extra’. That would not be good for children, teachers or the nation.
“To make sure that the education we offer our children gives them the skills, abilities and opportunities that they will need, we must safeguard the place of creativity in the curriculum – not only as areas of learning in their own right but as underpinning approaches to our education system.”
Iain Watson, director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM), said the conference would include testimonies from artists, writers, musicians and other creative practitioners who had worked with young people to produce “amazing and sometimes unexpected results in terms of learning”.
Event organiser Seline Deeney said: “By bringing together people from different sectors, who are all interested in bringing out the best in young people through creative learning, I hope we will be able to work towards some new partnerships and projects that will have a real impact in the future.”
Also due to speak today were Prof Mick Waters, former director of curriculum at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, and Marc Lewis, dean of London’s School of Communication Arts.
The event, building on the Creative Partnerships programme which is being wound up, has been organised through TWAM, the Centre for Creativity and Learning at Sunderland University, the Customs House, Dance City, The Sage Gateshead, Renaissance North East: Museums for Changing Lives and Creative Partnerships.