Grants of €4k apiece to four Westmeath schools

Four schools in Westmeath have been allocated grants of €4,000 apiece under the Creative Schools prorgramme announced by The Arts Council.

The schools are Ballynacargy NS, Moyvore NS, St Colman's NS in Mullingar and Our Lady's Bower secondary school in Athlone.

Creative Schools is a two-year initiative that supports schools and Youthreach centres to bring arts and creativity to the heart of children and young people’s lives, enhancing their learning experience.

Awardees receive €4,000, and are partnered with a professional Creative Associate to develop a bespoke creative activities plan.

Children and young people are given a central role in directing Creative Schools’ activities, empowering them to develop leadership skills, build confidence and engage with their local community.

As a result, the development of the Creative Schools programme is unique to each setting. From exploring new forms of creativity, to organising festivals, hosting workshops, putting on performances, and much more, Creative Schools offers children and young people an exciting opportunity to lead creative activities in their area.

Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in close partnership with the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Creative Ireland.Speaking recently, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan revealed that including the current round of awardees, the number of schools that have participated in the programme has risen to more than 1,400 since it began in 2018.

Creative Schools is one of the many State initiatives which aims to centre arts and creativity in the lives of young people across the country, and I would like to thank the Department of Education and Youth for their continued support in this initiative.

"Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton said that creativity plays a vital role in every child and young person’s education, helping them to build confidence, express themselves, develop critical thinking skills and strengthen their connection with their school and community.

Chair of the Arts Council, Maura McGrath, held a similar view: "It is a fantastic programme which has been shown to enhance young people’s well-being, their self-esteem and their connection to their school," she said.