At Youth Music, we welcome the news that Arts Council England will now require the organisations they fund to provide the socioeconomic background of all their employees.
While many arts organisations deliver “access” programmes to disadvantaged communities, they often fail to reflect this in their own workforce.
The arts remain dominated by those from privileged backgrounds, with limited representation from other parts of society.
There are barriers to entering the industry, particularly for those living outside London, or with limited financial means. Too many people miss out because of who they are, where they live, or what they’re going through.
To help address these issues, we became the first Living Wage funder in the arts and culture sector in 2017. This means paying people the Real Living Wage for internships and other roles, and we encourage organisations we invest in to do the same.
Concerted action like this is needed to ensure the inclusion of voices and experiences which we still don’t hear enough.
Matt Griffiths, Chief Executive, Youth Music
Editor's reply
Dear Matt
Your mention of the Living Wage is a reminder that when it comes to access and the arts it is all about money. Too often access to a spare room and some spare cash are what divide the haves from the have-nots trying to break into the low-paid creative industries.
There are concrete steps we can take to widen access and I’m glad to hear you’re part of that solution. Maybe it’s time the arts adopted the scheme currently run by the team at Press Pad (presspad.co.uk) who are trying to get more people into journalism.
They sign up vetted mentors that not only offer advice to would-be journalists but perhaps more importantly give up spare rooms so they can come down to the capital and get much-needed experience.
Spare rooms and spare change is a slogan we can all rally behind.
Robert Dex, Arts correspondent
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