UK
PROGRAMMES
From the world to the UK – how the unique connections and experiences of In Place of War’s Change-maker network are helping young people design and build better futures.
Emerging from an arts research project at the University of Manchester, and evolving into a Manchester-based charity, In Place of War has always undertaken public engagement, impact reporting and dissemination activities for a range of UK audiences, resulting in partnerships in academia, the cultural sector, NGOs and the government. This has been part of a strategy to contribute to an evidence base for the role of the arts in society to inform policy and practice, create platforms for international artists, and to generate new reflections and understanding of the arts amongst public audiences.
Since the pandemic, our work in the UK has shifted to developing practical programming, in partnership with civic arts organisations, bringing our mission to foment arts-based social change to the UK. The multiple crises affecting young people in the UK, punctuated by the cost of living crisis, increased mental health issues, growing inequality and financial instability, and apathy towards democracy amongst youth, presents a strategic opportunity to undertake work in the UK.
This is based on the premise that young people, in particular those from disadvantaged communities in the UK, could learn from In Place of War’s body of work internationally. In particular, connecting young people in the UK with global change-makers to form networks of solidarity and learning, to co-create arts-based responses to common challenges and shared aspirations.
