Arts Emergency is a UK-based charity that seeks opportunities in the

Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

and

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

sector for underrepresented young people aged 16-26.

History

Founded by campaigner Neil Griffiths (current CEO) and comedian

Josie Long Josie Isabel Long (born 17 April 1982) is a British comedian. She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17. In 2006, Long won the If.comeddies Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival Frin ...

in 2011, Arts Emergency was created in response to the increasing

tuition fees Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spen ...

, abolition of public funding for the teaching of arts subjects in British universities and the lack of social mobility in the Arts, a belief reinforced by the 2015 Panic! survey initiated by Create London and the 201
Panic! It's an Arts Emergency Report
led by academics Drs Dave O’Brien, Orian Brook, and Mark Taylor from the Universities of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. The Charity launched with an event at the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in Lon ...

in the London borough that hosted its pilot project in 2012.

Work

Arts Emergency runs a national "alternative"

Old Boy Network An old boy network (also known as old boys' network, ol' boys' club, old boys' club, old boys' society, good ol' boys club, or good ol' boys system) is an informal system in which wealthy men with similar social or educational background help ...

that aims to create privilege for people without privilege, and tackle the inequalities that exist with access to arts degrees and careers in the sector. Th
Arts Emergency Network
is made up of over 10,000 volunteers working in TV, film, music, art, fashion, academia, law, architecture, activism, comedy, social work, journalism, publishing, design, activism and theatre. The Charity offers opportunities ranging from mentoring and coaching with industry professionals, work experience, tickets to events and financial aid to buy resources. This assistance aims to help young people make informed decisions about the career they wish to pursue and develop an understanding of how they can do it. Young people are able to access resources, advice and guidance through the volunteer network until they are 26 years old. Members of the Arts Emergency Network include the comedians

Joe Lycett Joe Harry Lycett, also known by the self-given moniker Mummy, is an English comedian, painter and television presenter. Known for his sardonically camp style, whimsical public stunts and elaborate set designs, Lycett has been described as one ...

Nish Kumar Nishant Kumar (born 1985) is a British stand-up comedian and television presenter. He became known as the host of satirical comedy ''The Mash Report'', now known as '' Late Night Mash''. He has also presented BBC Radio 4 Extra's topical comedy ...

Chris Addison Christopher David Addison (born 5 November 1971) is a British comedian, writer, actor, and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as a regular panellist on ''Mock the Week''. He is also known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of ...

and

Mathew Baynton Mathew John Baynton (born 18 November 1980) is an English actor, writer, comedian, singer, and musician best known as a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he starred in the TV series ''Horrible Histories''; as well as an a ...

, journalist

Yomi Adegoke Yomi Adegoke (born 25 September 1991) is a British journalist and author. Early life and education Adegoke is of Nigerian heritage. She was born in Canning Town, east London, and raised in Croydon. She attended the University of Warwick and ...

, writer and producer

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films ''Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', an ...

, authors

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

and

Sarah Perry Sarah Grace Perry (born 28 November 1979) is an English author. She has had three novels published, all by Serpent's Tail: ''After Me Comes the Flood'' (2014), ''The Essex Serpent'' (2016) and ''Melmoth'' (2018). Her work has been translated ...

and actor

Julie Hesmondhalgh Julie Claire Hesmondhalgh (born 25 February 1970) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her role as Hayley Cropper in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' between 1998 and 2014. For this role, she won Best Serial Drama Perfor ...

. The organisation currently runs programmes in London, Brighton, Manchester and Merseyside as well as offering remote opportunities.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://arts-emergency.org/ Cultural charities based in the United Kingdom 2011 establishments in the United Kingdom