Sparkcatchers! in Galway have been awarded a total of €24,280 through the Arts Council’s Youth Ensembles Scheme.
Based in Tuam, Sparkcatchers! is a socially engaged arts group focusing on “spontaneity, fun, truth & positive disruption in public spaces & everyday places” while working with youth, communities, schools & organisations.
It is led by co-founders Jojo Hynes & Midie Corcoran. Jojo Hynes is an artist, performer, educator and collaborator who graduated with an MA from Kingston University, BA from GMIT, Postgrad diplomas from Goldsmiths University and NCAD.
Midie Corcoran has over 30 year experience as a community artist, performer, director, writer, collaborative artist and founding member of Earwig! Community Arts and Tuam Arts Festival.
The Arts Council’s Youth Ensembles Scheme supports groups of young people between the ages of ten and twenty-four. It focuses on providing them with the resources to create or critically engage with ambitious and original work across any artform.
This year, a total of €246,439 has been awarded to 13 groups across Ireland through the Youth Ensemble Scheme.
By centring young people in the creative process, this scheme affords opportunities for confidence building, developing leadership skills and building community connections.
Research has shown that access to and participation in the arts is an essential part of childhood which improves all aspects of children’s lives. The arts can provide a safe and inviting space for children and young people, where they have choice and agency, can develop their ideas, interests and skills, and encounter new experiences and possibilities.
The Youth Ensemble Scheme is one of a number of Arts Council schemes that support the development of youth arts in Ireland. In addition, the Arts Council is also a partner in multiple State initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people.
The Arts Council will continue to work with national and local government, and local arts infrastructure, to support partnerships in the areas or early childhood, education and youth arts.
Speaking recently, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, said, “Participation in the arts is proven to have a positive effect on the health and well-being of those of all ages. For children and young people, who are at a crucial developmental stage of their lives, access to the arts is of particular importance.”
“It is vital that we provide younger generations with safe spaces to explore and expand their creative abilities and collaborate with their peers in a meaningful way. This scheme is one of the many foundational supports that help to embed art and creativity in communities across the country.”
Chair of the Arts Council, Maura McGrath, said, “It is my pleasure to announce this year’s recipients of the Youth Ensembles Scheme. This scheme is particularly important in that empowers young people to take a leading role in creative projects.”
“By providing young people across the country with opportunities to participate in all stages of the creative process, this investment helps our mission of ensuring that the arts are accessible to all.”
