In our next blog, Ashlee E L Roberts explores how six companies have used profound initiatives to help community relations and mind-set advancement in Birmingham
FlatPack Festival
Hailing from Birmingham, the travelling festival aims to inspire audiences through the medium of performance and film.
Their ethos “It’s not just a festival, it’s a state of mind” reinforces how art, especially digital vices can alter mind-sets and encourage creatives, young and old to express their reality in a vivid and artistic way. As a result of their amazing work, Aspire 4 U have been approached by schools in search of culture enrichment days inspired by the Flatpack experience.
“We are firm believers in creating a sense of occasion, exploring the fertile territory where film bumps up against other art-forms, and showing people things they might not otherwise have seen ” – Flatpack Festival
Beatfreeks
Founded by local Entrepreneur Anisa Haghdadi, Beatfreek’s collective helps creatives across the UK and in the Caribbean to express their diversity, culture and identity through artistic means.
Their monthly gathering of ‘Poetry Jam’ has debuted some of Birmingham’s finest talent in spoken word and has given hundreds of people a space of authenticity and acceptance. Most recently; their project ‘Doink’ focuses on data and the arts. The collective aims to combine statistics with creativity to make information digestible for all.
This concept has also been independently championed and trialled by Dr Martin Glynn, lecturer of criminology at Birmingham City University, which emphasises Birmingham’s growing trend of utilising data to advance communities and backgrounds
“At the heart of our work is a movement of people using creativity to challenge the world to be better” – Beatfreeks
ACE Dance and Music Academy
This Birmingham bud has blossomed into an internationally recognised company for African Caribbean contemporary arts and dance. ACE Dance and Music has mastered the art of ‘Afro Fusion’ – a trendy but sociologically beneficial concept to the diaspora of the Caribbean and Africa who can create a hybrid of their birth and ancestral cultures in the beauty of dance.
They also heavily support youth advancement through dance. Their educational and outreach programmes allow their youth participants to reach artistic excellence and a sense of accomplishment at the end of completed performances. Aspire4U’s relationship has strengthened over the years through the use of their practitioners and alumni and we believe in their passion for youth engagement.
“Founded in 1996 and based in Birmingham, ACE dance and music (African Cultural Exchange Ltd.) was established as an agent for cultural exchange which has made a specific and unique contribution to contemporary dance locally, regionally and nationally” – ACE Dance and Music
The Children’s Society
In 1881, Edward Rudolph, a secondary school teacher founded The Children’s society. The concept was spawned from his own experiences of depravity– because of this, he became determined to change the unfortunate realities millions of children endure through no fault of their own. Since then, The Children’s Society have made it their mission “for children to be free of disadvantage”
Their work not only helps disadvantaged children, but aids in issues such as neglect, runaways, carers and families ladled with debt. Their multifaceted charity is an inspiration to future generations of shapers and influencers who care about the safety and development of Britain’s youth.
“We worked with over 13,000 vulnerable children and young people last year, while our campaign wins will bring change to more than 3 million” – The Children’s Society
Birmingham Voluntary Service Council
Pursuing their mission for a “fair and equitable Birmingham”, BVSC are dedicated to supporting services and organisations who are actively changing the community on a voluntarily basis. Their hub, ‘The Centre for Voluntary Action’ is planted in the heart of Digbeth, providing social learning, networking and debates to help advance the mind-set of Birmingham.
Their facilities allow groups to discuss the challenges and progresses experienced by the voluntary sector. Organisations gain imperative skills such as leadership and the art of influence; which can be used to build relations with public bodies and NHS Trusts
“Our mission is to help people to build and benefit from a fair and equitable Birmingham.” – BVSC
Birmingham Open Media (BOM)
Our last inspirational business focuses on investing belief into creatives from Birmingham and beyond. Their space allows fruitful discussions to manifest with an intersectional audience on its receiving end. BOM aims to merge the concepts of art, science and technology in pursuit of answers to the challenges faced by the creative industry.
In their recent was Race and Representation: Beyond the Box Ticking. Hosted by Dr Kehinde Andrews, founder of the Black Studies degree at Birmingham City University, the discussion explored the issue of racial quotas in the visual arts world. The talk demonstrated how the creative, scientific and academic communities can help change this problem for future generations.
“Radical practice at the intersection of art, technology and science” – Birmingham Open Media
Written by Ashlee E L Roberts
For Aspire4U CIC
The Mindset Lead Organisation
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We are a not for profit community engagement organisation that uses the arts to develop mindsets towards well-being, financial literacy, & employability.
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