Arts & Creative Charter for Older People

Age & Opportunity recently launched the Arts & Creative Charter for Older People, setting out the arts sector’s commitment to promoting key values and guiding principles in engaging with older people.

The Charter also demonstrates a commitment to the participation of older people in the arts as artists, audiences, creators, critics, teachers and learners. It considers elements such as accessibility, participation, dialogue, communication, diversity, policy and programming.

We hope that this pioneering Charter will result in more opportunities for older people to engage in the arts across Ireland. We also hope that it leads to older people having better experiences and greater enjoyment in the arts. – Tara Byrne, Arts Programme Manager with Age & Opportunity

Read the Charter
https://bealtaine.ie/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/publications-general-list/Age_and_Opportunity_Charter_A3.pdf

As part of the Charter design process, Age & Opportunity engaged with arts organisations, older artists, and older arts participants. Some of these arts participants describe what the arts means to them in the video below. More information on the background to the Charter can be found here.

Pilot Programme
Seven organisations are piloting the Charter over 12 months: Axis Arts Centre (Dublin), The Glucksman (Cork), An Ghrianán (Donegal), Wexford Arts Centre (Wexford), IMMA (Dublin), IFI (Dublin) and Galway Town Hall (Galway). These organisations will assess how the Charter works within their organisations and test its impact on older people’s confidence in and experiences of the arts.

Following the pilot, Age & Opportunity will roll out the Charter among arts organisations nationwide.