After initially being postponed in March due to coronavirus, our final Big Change CPD event of the year will now form part of A New Direction’s I Am At Home Festival – an online celebration of creativity with SEND settings & disabled-led organisations. The festival was also originally scheduled to take place in March 2020, but has now been reworked in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on sharing tools and practice in the context of recovery. As schools and cultural venues consider reopening and map out their creative programmes for the next academic year, it is an opportune moment to consider how models of work can be rebuilt around access and inclusion.

Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about A New Direction’s SEND Network, take part in a workshop with my AFK – a national charity supporting disabled children, young people and their families – and hear how other disabled-led organisations are responding to the current situation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked actions on many fronts, including the We Shall Not Be Removed Collective’s action and open letter to the Culture Secretary which advocates for safeguarding the future of disability arts in the UK. Now more than ever the sector needs to consider a joined-up approach that supports inclusion within the current workforce and opens pathways for the next generation of D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse young people.

Following the workshops, attendees will break into smaller groups for a critical discussion of inclusion and power in the context of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees will be encouraged to share their own experiences around engaging children and young people in inclusive, collaborative programmes and workplaces and be given space to consider how they might support SEND learners and educators during the recovery phase.

Whatever stage you are at in your considering commitment to access and inclusion during this time of recovery, this event will give those working in London’s arts, cultural and heritage organisations and opportunity to hear from each other and share practice.

About Big Change

In times of rapid and wholesale socio-political change, the Big Change Series 2019/20 provides a space to connect and discuss the role of the cultural sector, young people and the resources and opportunities available to them. This year we are hosting a series of sessions around the theme of ‘Opportunity’ to explore how London's arts, cultural and heritage organisations can best enrich the lives of the children and young people they work with.

The Big Change Series is central to A New Direction’s sector support role for children and young people across London, and is also a chance for us to discuss and enhance our offer of support.