Partners
Partners from across the children and youth arts sectors are commissioned to share some of the creative work, reflections and ambitions of children and young people that they have been working with over the past year.
Thanks to all of our Partners who make UNCON possible.
2022 Partners
Articulate exists to support arts access and participation by children, young people and adults who are least likely to engage in creative activity, or who face significant barriers to taking part, and yet have the greatest potential to benefit from doing so. This specialist focus supports improvements in learning, achievement and attainment, connectivity, employability, empowerment and well-being.
We create bespoke projects, classes and courses for groups and individuals who wish to explore and expand their horizons through the arts and develop skills for life, learning and work along the way.
Our work in the visual and performing arts and the creative industries is designed to build confidence and self-esteem, help with team-work and problem-solving as well as explore the world, our communities and our relationships in safe and imaginative ways.
Barrowland Ballet is one of Scotland’s most exciting and successful contemporary dance companies built around the artistic work of choreographer Natasha Gilmore. The company produces high quality, accessible dance theatre performance, installation and film which are presented nationally and internationally. The work’s themes are delivered with wit and humour, and the insightful observations of human behaviour are rooted in her personal stories.
The Bold Collective are a committee of young artists aged 14-25, with various experiences and from different backgrounds, who are passionate about access and exploration of the arts. We shape the way Glasgow views young artists, and help creatives develop their practice further, through opportunities and skill development. The collective is a great way to meet people either starting out or already in the industry. We create all our workshops and events around the same ideology, of “Free Accessible Arts for All”, and help to pave the way for young artists emerging or diversifying in their career.
Twitter @tbc_glasgow
Facebook @TBCGlasgow
Instagram @tbc_glasgow
Capital Theatres operates three busy theatre venues in Edinburgh; the Festival Theatre, the King’s Theatre and The Studio. Operating as a registered Scottish charity, they present world-class shows to entertain and inspire audiences of all ages.
Clifftop Projects exists to bring high quality artistic activity to people across West Dunbartonshire. We specialise in working with a wide age range of participants in dance, visual arts and other art forms believing that creativity has no age limit!
Facebook @clifftopprojectscic
Instagram @clifftopprojects
Founded in 1999 by Eileen and Peter Jacobs, Cove Park is based on an outstanding 50-acre rural site overlooking Loch Long in Argyll & Bute. The charity’s national and international artists residency programme has hosted over 4,000 individuals working in all art forms, from all backgrounds and at every career stage. Former residents include Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood (now an Honorary Patron of Cove Park), Griffin Poetry Prize winner Ann Carson, recipient of Tate Turbine Hall Commission Abraham Cruzvillegas, Director of London’s Royal Court Theatre Vicky Featherstone, and Whitbread Novel Award winner Alasdair Gray. Established figures such as these work alongside those in the early stages of their careers, creating a stimulating context in which emerging artists can develop their own practices and cross-generational exchange can take place.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.
Twitter @CreativeScots
Facebook @CreativeScotland
Instagram @creativescots
Fife Contemporary are an independent visual art & craft organisation based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. They produce a high quality programme of visual art and craft to support artists and makers and for the public in Fife, facilitating engagement between them and enriching their lives.
Their programme is not delivered from a single venue but across Fife, through varied partnerships in all kinds of places.
G20’s mission is to enable young people who have experienced significant life trauma to access safe spaces, the Arts – and opportunities for work, training, personal development, and fun.
@hill_artfest // @g20youthfestival
Media Education provide training courses and personal development support, equipping our participants with the technical and creative skills required to confidently express their voice through film and media.
We work with adults and young people from marginalised groups across Scotland and Europe.
After working with us, participants have the skills and self-belief to express themselves confidently in their communities and to decision-makers.
Twitter @media_education
Facebook @mediaeducationCIC
NYAAG are the National Youth Arts Advisory Group, supporting the Time to Shine Strategy. We are the Voice of Youth Arts.
Twitter @NYAAGScot
Instagram @nyaagscot
PAMIS, promoting a more inclusive society, is the only charity that solely supports children, young people and adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and their families to lead healthy, valued and included lives doing the things they want to do within their community. PAMIS understand the complexity of care and support required for individuals with PMLD and offers a range of projects and programmes.
The Arts End of Somewhere are a young arts collective based in Dumfries who use their experiences of living with a learning disability to volunteer for PAMIS and create multi-sensory stories and theatre to benefit others in their community.
Twitter @PAMIS_Scotland
Facebook @pamisscotland | @ArtsEndOfSomewhere
Central to local cultural life for over 120 years, Perth Theatre and Concert Hall create life affirming, shared experiences in the performing arts that ignite the imagination and make living more meaningful. Our world-class venues, award-winning programming and inclusive learning and engagement projects play an essential role in stimulating positive wellbeing within the communities we serve, benefitting the local economy and raising the profile of the area.
Scottish Youth Theatre is a national young artists’ development organisation. Their purpose is to collaborate with young theatre artists to create experiences and events that reverberate in their lives, their communities and their country. They design and produce projects that offer artistic development opportunities for aspiring, emerging and early career artists, aged 14 to 25. They work with young people who are based in Scotland, across intersections and geographies.
Stills is a centre for photography based in the heart of Edinburgh. Established in 1977, we have a long history of supporting the advancement, enjoyment, exploration and understanding of photography in Scotland.
Twitter @StillsEdinburgh
Facebook @StillsGallery
Instagram @stillsedinburgh
Strange Town offers opportunities in the performing arts to young people aged 5 to 25 in Edinburgh.
As a company, our aim at Strange Town is to enable young people to fulfil their creative potential. Whatever your background or experience, we believe everyone has creative and artistic abilities. We help young people to recognise and develop these abilities through peer and professional encouragement, participation and example.
Twitter @infoStrangeTown
Facebook @StrangeTownTheatre
Instagram @strangetownco
The Work Room’s mission is to empower artists to lead in their practice, enabling them to make high quality, pioneering dance for diverse contexts at home and internationally.
From their purpose-built studio space within Glasgow’s Tramway, they host supported residencies for choreographers. They are committed to supporting a sustainable environment for independent artists working in dance in Scotland.
YDance (Scottish Youth Dance) is the national dance organisation for children and young people in Scotland.
The company works across three key areas – Access and Participation, Education and Talent Development, to give every child and young person in Scotland the chance to participate in dance at whatever level is right for them.
Twitter @ydancescotland
Facebook @YDanceScotland
Instagram @ydancescotland
Youth Theatre Arts Scotland (YTAS) is Scotland’s development organisation for youth theatre. YTAS works to help make young people’s lives better through the creativity and community of youth theatre arts.
We support and develop a sector which engages 14,000 young people every week. We do this by providing:
a membership network which supports and connects over 100 youth theatre groups and freelance practitioners across Scotland
national and international youth theatre projects, festivals, and events;
workforce training and professional development; and
information services.
YTAS' vision is for there to be universal access to quality youth theatre activity across Scotland, and for there to be universal recognition of its transformative impact.
Twitter and Instagram @ytartsscot
Facebook @YTArtsScot
2021 Partners
The Bold Collective are a committee of young artists aged 14-25, with various experiences and from different backgrounds, who are passionate about access and exploration of the arts. We shape the way Glasgow views young artists, and help creatives develop their practice further, through opportunities and skill development. The collective is a great way to meet people either starting out or already in the industry. We create all our workshops and events around the same ideology, of “Free Accessible Arts for All”, and help to pave the way for young artists emerging or diversifying in their career.
Twitter @tbc_glasgow
Facebook @TBCGlasgow
Instagram @tbc_glasgow
CELCIS is a leading improvement and innovation centre in Scotland.
We improve children's lives by supporting people and organisations to drive long-lasting change in the services they need, and the practices used by people responsible for their care.
Twitter @celcistweets
Facebook @CELCIS
Collective brings people together to look at, think about and produce contemporary art in a new kind of city observatory.
Twitter @collective_edin
Facebook @collectiveedinburgh
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.
Twitter @CreativeScots
Facebook @CreativeScotland
Instagram @creativescots
Fèis Rois enables people of all ages to access, participate in and enjoy the traditional arts and Gaelic language through a diverse programme of activities in Ross & Cromarty, across Scotland and beyond. Based in Dingwall, Fèis Rois is widely recognised as a national leader in the arts, particularly in music education.
Glasgow Connected Arts Network CiC (Glasgow CAN) is the cultural hub for the advancement of Participatory Arts in the City.
Glasgow CAN CiC is invested in encouraging and maintaining public engagement, awareness and understanding of Participatory Arts in Glasgow. We facilitate skills and resource sharing, and the exchange of ideas, offering our Members and the wider community access to invaluable training, partnership and networking opportunities.
Twitter @GlasConArtsNet
Facebook @GlasgowConnectedArtsNetwork
Instagram @glasgowconnectedartsnetwork
The Highland Youth Arts Hub was one of nine hubs set up across the country as part of the National Youth Arts Strategy, Time to Shine. The Highland Youth Arts Hub aims to increase access to youth arts activities across the region and across a range of art forms including dance, digital art, drama, film, literature, music and visual art.
Twitter @HighlandYAH
Facebook @highlandyouthartshub
Intercultural Youth Scotland encourage a collective action of less heard intercultural voices in Scotland, creating social impact and justice.
We provide specialised inclusive weekly services to nurture talent, enhance voices and deliver cultural gender equality. We build upon experience and BIPOC consistent support with intercultural young people who face educational inequalities, anti-black & racism, discrimination and underachievement in Scotland.
Twitter @InterculturalYS
Instagram @interculturalyouthscot
PAMIS, promoting a more inclusive society, is the only charity that solely supports children, young people and adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and their families to lead healthy, valued and included lives doing the things they want to do within their community. PAMIS understand the complexity of care and support required for individuals with PMLD and offers a range of projects and programmes.
The Arts End of Somewhere are a young arts collective based in Dumfries who use their experiences of living with a learning disability to volunteer for PAMIS and create multi-sensory stories and theatre to benefit others in their community.
Twitter @PAMIS_Scotland
Facebook @pamisscotland | @ArtsEndOfSomewhere
Media Education provide training courses and personal development support, equipping our participants with the technical and creative skills required to confidently express their voice through film and media.
We work with adults and young people from marginalised groups across Scotland and Europe.
After working with us, participants have the skills and self-belief to express themselves confidently in their communities and to decision-makers.
Twitter @media_education
Facebook @mediaeducationCIC
NYAAG are the National Youth Arts Advisory Group, supporting the Time to Shine Strategy. We are the Voice of Youth Arts.
Twitter @NYAAGScot
Instagram @nyaagscot
Starcatchers is Scotland’s National Arts and Early Years organisation specialising in creating performances and exploring creative activity for babies, toddlers and young children aged 0-5 and the adults who care for them.
Starcatchers believes in the transformational power of the arts to inspire Scotland’s youngest children and the people who care for them through creativity, performances and engagement projects.
Twitter @StarcatchersUK
Facebook @starcatchersuk