Youth-led arts forum to create pathways for young arts practitioners as part of big west festival

cohealth Arts Generator and Brimbank Youth Services in association with Big West Festival announce Movement Makers: a youth-led arts forum for young people, students, artists, educators and community workers. The forum welcomes all people interested in hearing from and sharing with the next generation of artists, arts workers and community leaders.

The forum will take place at the Footscray Community Arts Centre on Friday November 20th 2014 from 9:30am to 5pm.

Movement Makers is a unique platform for young arts practitioners working with communities to explore the power and impact for their work.

Movement Makers is organised by a committee of culturally diverse young people who are passionate about creativity and advocacy to the broader arts and community sector about creating real opportunities, pathways and professional development for young arts practitioners.

Key ideas to be explored through presentations by practitioners will look at: identity and culture, shaping your creative lane and making your way in the creative industries. There will also be two panel discussions hosted by arts facilitators from cohealth Arts Generator and Wyndham City Council. The first panel will look at diverse education settings beyond the classroom, and the second will shed light on how local young arts activists are paving the way for social change. The program will also feature DJs Wasabi and Madengo providing music, free head sketches, the Culture Queens video clip launch and a performance by the Phoenix Youth Theatre Group.

Young presenters will be drawn from cohealth Arts Generator, L2R Next Gen Inc., Artsready, Artful Dodgers, One Conexion, Arts Centre Melbourne’s Dig Deep Program and the network of the Movement Makers Committee coming from the North and outer West of Melbourne.

In the evening, the Movement Makers crew will continue celebrating the event at the Big West Opening Night, at the Footscray Library car park on Paisley St, Footscray from 6:30pm-9:30pm. The Movement Makers crew will have a special location that will showcase some of the up and coming young musicians, dancers and performers from the West, including Yaw Faso, Travellers and Together Like Brothers (TLB).

Movement Makers has been developed in partnership with Big West Festival, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Brimbank Youth Services, Brimbank City Council, Maribyrnong City Council, Maribyrnong Youth Services, Wyndham City Council and Arts Centre Melbourne.

cohealth Arts Generator works in partnership with individuals and communities who experience limited access to arts and cultural opportunities. Through participatory arts practice cohealth Arts Generator aims to increase wellbeing and agency by unlocking creative potential and building connections to the broader community.

Brimbank Youth Services (BYS) works with young people aged between 12-25 years who live, work, study or recreate in Brimbank. BYS aims to support young people to participate in education, health and wellbeing, recreation and employment activities, contributing to strong sense of belonging and pride in their community.

Big West is the leading community-based, contemporary arts and cultural festival in the western region of Melbourne. A biennial event, Big West runs in November, and stages high quality, cutting edge and unique artistic works in the venues, cultural sites, suburban streets and industrial sprawl of Melbourne’s West.