Curious Minds

Since 2008, Curious Minds has been connecting children and young people, teachers and youth workers with incredible artists and creative practitioners; giving them access to information, expertise, space and resources to facilitate collaboration and innovation in the field of creative and cultural education.

Get In Touch

Organisation Bio

Our vision is for a future where being creative and experiencing brilliant culture is a regular aspect of EVERY child’s life and learning.

Since 2008, Curious Minds has been connecting children and young people, teachers and youth workers with incredible artists and creative practitioners; giving them access to information, expertise, space and resources to facilitate collaboration and innovation in the field of creative and cultural education.

We achieve national and international reach but focus our work in the North of England. Our team draws expertise from across the education, culture, public and private sectors.

We are an ambitious charity that works to bring about positive and lasting change. We provide strategic support to the cultural education workforce and deliver learning and development programmes that help diversify and professionalise the field of cultural education. We use the terms ‘Backbone Organisation’ and ‘Field Building Catalyst’ to describe how we work across multiple sectors to support, develop, champion and mobilise the cultural education workforce to achieve collective impact.

Curious Minds is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means we receive funding from taxpayers to help ensure all children and young people have access to the transformative benefits of creativity and culture.

Organisation Services

Driving all our work is the belief that, with the right support and space to innovate, the cultural sector can play a greater role in making the North of England the best place for children and young people to grow up and achieve their potential.

We work to bring about lasting systemic change in the field of creative and cultural education, and to diversify and professionalise its leadership and workforce.

The field of cultural education spans multiple sectors and involves a wide range of professionals who contribute to the creative and cultural education of children and young people, in and out of school.

They include teachers and teaching assistants, youth and play workers, early years practitioners, teaching artists, producers, curators and other creative practitioners. They can be employees, freelancers, entrepreneurs or volunteers working in culture, education, youth, community and health settings. For some, cultural education is the main or sole focus of their work; for others, it will be a small part of a wider role.

We deliver learning and leadership programmes and partnerships that bring about individual, organisational and systemic change, and ‘level-up’ opportunity. These include work with LCEPs (local cultural education partnerships), Leading the Arts in Your School (a professional development programme for teachers emerging as leaders), Curious Citizens (a programme focusing on giving young people unique opportunities and to build their cultural capital).

Organisation Audience

Schools, colleges and universities. Youth sector organisations. Cultural organisations including theatres, museums, galleries, libraries, dance companies, and music education hubs. Public health and local authorities. We also work with children and young people in focused programmes.