Latest News from Minerva HQ
All Change in the House of Minerva
Thank you to all of our supporters, friends and members for your patience over the last year while we work on our re-structure.
It is important that we communicate to everyone exactly what is happening with Minerva Arts going forward and why we have decided to make these choices.
Firstly, I'd like to re-introduce myself, Steph the voice behind the web pages. For a long time from the outset of Minerva onwards, I was also the face of the organisation but over the years I have stepped a little further back. This is for a few different reasons, both because I moved geographically away from the 'patch' some 12 years ago and because my own work-life and career have developed beyond Minerva. I stopped directly leading workshops around COVID time but have continued to run all administration, finance and fundraising activity behind the scenes.
The core of our organisation since 2011 has been our Youth Theatre provision, supporting and enabling young people in Cheshire to access quality theatre provision on their doorstep. This model was created and developed in response to the changes and movements in our original home of Chester between our inception in 2009 and the opening of Storyhouse in 2017. Our groups have made incredible work, created strong community and had impact wider than the rooms in which they have operated. And this move is not the end for any of this work. Our Sandymoor, Sandbach and Middlewich groups have already moved to independence and they are now to be followed by Lache, Upton and Malpas who will continue to be supported by Minerva's infrastructure but operate as independent entities.
We have run a huge range of brilliant projects supported by trusts, foundations and government funding. We have brought stories of Cheshire's heritage to life, created education pieces about Loan Sharks and taught financial literacy through drama and delivered social action through the arts as well as having supported countless young people with work experience both in person and virtually. Many of these projects represented the first time that such things had been created and delivered within the arts and cultural sector in Cheshire. 2024-25 has seen the last of these projects, an amazing collaboration with Great Places Housing that has used creative approaches to gather real-world consultation on two housing estates in Knutsford to feed into regeneration plans.
So, for now, this is see ya! We're still here (sort of), operating in support of our wonderful workshop leaders but you won't see or hear much from Minerva as a body in its own right. If you'd like to have a chat or ask ay questions, please do. You can email me directly on [email protected]. Much Love.
It is important that we communicate to everyone exactly what is happening with Minerva Arts going forward and why we have decided to make these choices.
Firstly, I'd like to re-introduce myself, Steph the voice behind the web pages. For a long time from the outset of Minerva onwards, I was also the face of the organisation but over the years I have stepped a little further back. This is for a few different reasons, both because I moved geographically away from the 'patch' some 12 years ago and because my own work-life and career have developed beyond Minerva. I stopped directly leading workshops around COVID time but have continued to run all administration, finance and fundraising activity behind the scenes.
The core of our organisation since 2011 has been our Youth Theatre provision, supporting and enabling young people in Cheshire to access quality theatre provision on their doorstep. This model was created and developed in response to the changes and movements in our original home of Chester between our inception in 2009 and the opening of Storyhouse in 2017. Our groups have made incredible work, created strong community and had impact wider than the rooms in which they have operated. And this move is not the end for any of this work. Our Sandymoor, Sandbach and Middlewich groups have already moved to independence and they are now to be followed by Lache, Upton and Malpas who will continue to be supported by Minerva's infrastructure but operate as independent entities.
We have run a huge range of brilliant projects supported by trusts, foundations and government funding. We have brought stories of Cheshire's heritage to life, created education pieces about Loan Sharks and taught financial literacy through drama and delivered social action through the arts as well as having supported countless young people with work experience both in person and virtually. Many of these projects represented the first time that such things had been created and delivered within the arts and cultural sector in Cheshire. 2024-25 has seen the last of these projects, an amazing collaboration with Great Places Housing that has used creative approaches to gather real-world consultation on two housing estates in Knutsford to feed into regeneration plans.
So, for now, this is see ya! We're still here (sort of), operating in support of our wonderful workshop leaders but you won't see or hear much from Minerva as a body in its own right. If you'd like to have a chat or ask ay questions, please do. You can email me directly on [email protected]. Much Love.
Minerva Radio Launches
In a slight departure from our usual work, we have this year partnered with Calday Media to create a new online community radio station, Minerva Radio. Currently the station hosts Folkscene, formerly part of the BBC Radio Merseyside portfolio and the longest running specialist must programme on the network. We are now activity building up the schedule and are keen to hear from anyone with a bright idea for a show or a project. We have a travelling studio that can come to you!
Listen to the station here https://www.minervaradio.uk/ and if you'd like to chat more, get in touch via our contact form.
Listen to the station here https://www.minervaradio.uk/ and if you'd like to chat more, get in touch via our contact form.
Work Based Learning with University of Chester
This April, we took on our latest pair of Work Based Learning students from the University of Chester. We have been hosting these students since 2014 and each year it gives us the chance to meet and spend time with fantastic young people who input brilliant ideas and enthusiasm into our work. This year, Jessie and Olivia were no exception and we asked them to write a blog for us about their experiences.
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Olivia
Hi! I’m a psychology student and I spent my five-week placement with Minerva Arts as a Project Manager. My favourite part of this placement was the number of creative visual-based tasks I got to complete, I created posters for art workshops and competitions, creative writing workshops, and a drama festival. I also particularly liked creating the backdrops to coincide with the children’s Hades School of Magic play. Some of the less creative tasks I completed during this placement included research-based tasks such as searching for venues, researching schools near the venues and where to advertise what was on. I also helped draft an application form for the Holiday Activities and Food grant which included calculating a full budget to apply for. As somebody with an anxiety disorder it was pleasant to spend my time here. All the staff were extremely kind, with both their speaking and text tone coming across very friendly, which eased my anxiety and allowed me to reach out for help when I needed it and to produce the best quality of work I could do. Overall, I think Minerva Arts is a fantastic company and charity to work with and I consider myself quite lucky that I got to have this experience. |
Jessie
Hey! I am currently studying Musical Theatre and I have just completed my 5-week placement with Minerva Arts as one of their project managers. Throughout my placement I got to be involved in a wide range of projects with tasks ranging from research to designing and creating visuals for the youth theatre. One of my favourite opportunities was being able to help with new projects and watching them grow. The staff have been very warm and welcoming from the start and made me feel very comfortable whilst working with them. They always encouraged me to come up with new ideas and allowed me to be as creative as I wanted to be. I think Minerva Arts is an amazing opportunity with an amazing team behind it. I am very grateful and thankful that I got the chance to work with them all. |
New Youth Theatre Case Study
This year, we were grateful to be supported by Sanctuary Housing to run our Lache Youth Theatre group. As part of their support to us, they requested that we send them a case study after the year of funding had completed to help share with them the impact that their funding was having on the young people and the community in Lache. Jude got to work and produced a brilliant write-up of the journey that one of our members has been on since she joined at the start of the pilot project back in September 2018. We loved it so much we thought we'd share it and you can now view it on out Tumblr blog right here.
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Minerva Arts is a Company Limited by Guarantee No. 8098260 and a Charity Registered in England and Wales No. 1149379
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