Creative Citizens

Our tailored consultancy service to help local authorities and public bodies engage with their creative community

Creative Lives is aware of the challenges facing public bodies as a result of the cost of living crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. We are keen to support local authorities and other organisations to promote the wellbeing of citizens through regular participation in creative activities in their communities.

Creative Citizens is our tailored consultancy service intended to support public bodies to:

• engage with local voluntary creative groups;
• improve health and wellbeing through cultural participation; 
• demonstrate the need for investment in local cultural economies;
• develop the use of empty shops and unused public spaces for cultural activity;
• support the development and implementation of cultural or health and wellbeing strategies.

To find out more, read our Creative Citizens brochure setting out our consultancy service. For an example of Creative Citizens in practice, read the report from our work with Calderdale Council. If you'd like an informal chat about the possibilities, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]. 

How can Creative Citizens help?

Creative cultural pursuits bring people together, teach them new skills, boost confidence, and bring about a sense of achievement, identity, and place. Our research report Common Ground - Rewilding the Garden (November 2020) concluded that 'there is a huge resource of grassroots arts groups right across the country with an important contribution to make to maintaining individual and community health'. Creative communities and engagement can drive equality and social cohesion.

Creative Citizens is tailored to the organisation and location, but the process can include:

• mapping existing creating groups and activities in the local area, enabling signposting to creative activities
• creating a self-sustaining network of local creative groups, providing peer support and a single interface with the sector
• supporting existing creative groups to welcome new members, grow their capacity, and utilise empty or underused public spaces 
• providing interactive creative learning sessions, based on local needs, to empower and mobilise people and groups - particularly those in neglected and vulnerable communities
• running a micro-grants scheme

Read more about our Creative Citizens projects