Applications open for Creative Connections Scheme (Ireland)

Creative Connections is an exciting new pilot that gives children and young people the unique opportunity to work with professional creative practitioners in schools, bringing creativity and the arts directly into their learning. This provides creative learning opportunities that may not otherwise be available, enabling the children and young people to weave creativity into their lives.

Categories

• Creative Connections Creative Practitioner: creative practitioners are invited to participate in a new pilot creative partnership programme for children and young people, teachers, creative practitioners and school communities.
• Creative Connections Schools: Primary, Post Primary and Special Schools are invited to participate in a new pilot creative partnership programme for children and young people, teachers, creative practitioners and school communities.

Aim

• The evolving aims of Creative Connections are to:
  • Enhance learning, teaching and assessment through creative partnership and process
  • Enhance school development priorities and practitioner confidence through creative pedagogies and professional learning
  • Support young people’s agency
  • Connect communities through creativity
  • Champion emotional health and wellbeing to enhance readiness to learn

Phases

• Creative Connections Creative Practitioner:
  • Phase 1: February 2025 to June 2025:
    • Shared cross-border professional learning events for creative practitioners and teachers will take place in March/April 2025, gathering clusters of schools and creative practitioners in geographic proximity.
    • In-school creative residencies will take place March to May/June 2025 where young people will share leadership and creative collaboration with their teacher and creative practitioner partner.
  • Phase 2: September 2025 to June 2026:
    • Participating schools will cluster to create cross-border creative learning communities; two schools in Northern Ireland collaborating with two schools in Ireland. During Phase 2, creative practitioners who have participated in Phase 1 will be funded to work in a new residency with another cluster school in the alternate jurisdiction with the aim being to share practice and build creative learning cross border communities. Creative Connections aims to enhance collaboration, learning and mutual understanding through creativity and connection.
• Creative Connections Schools:
  • Phase 1: February 2025 to June 2025:
    • Shared cross-border professional learning events for teachers and creative practitioners will take place in March/April 2025, gathering clusters of schools in geographic proximity.
    • Creatives will be funded to collaborate with schools in a 20-hour residency (6 hours of shared planning, 14 hours residency). In-school creative residencies will take place March to May/June 2025 where young people will share leadership and creative collaboration with their teacher and creative practitioner partner.
  • Phase 2: September 2025 to June 2026:
    • Participating schools will cluster to create cross-border creative learning communities – two schools in Northern Ireland, collaborating with two schools in Ireland. Teachers will receive paid substitution cover for their attendance at professional learning events and travel expenses. During the cluster phase of Creative Connections, schools will also receive an additional in-school residency with a creative practitioner, as in Phase 1. Creative Connections aims to enhance collaboration, learning and mutual understanding through creativity and connection.

Funding Information

• Creative Connections Creative Practitioner:
  • Creative practitioners will receive payment of €150 or Sterling equivalent per day to attend professional learning events and travel will be covered at a rate of €0.2123/KM or Sterling equivalent.
  • Following initial professional learning events, creative practitioners will receive €1,100 or Sterling equivalent funding to collaborate with a school in a 20-hour residency (6 hours of shared planning and evaluation, 14 hours residency).
• Creative Connections Schools:
  • Schools will receive €200 or Sterling equivalent funding to spend on materials during this residency.
  • In addition, there will be funding of €1,500 or Sterling equivalent per school to invest in their Creative Connection.

Eligibility Criteria

• Creative Connections Creative Practitioner:
  • Creative Connections is seeking 20 creative practitioners working in Northern Ireland and 20 creative practitioners working in Ireland in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Cavan and Louth to work with 20 schools in each jurisdiction (to a maximum total of 40 creative practitioners and 40 schools in Creative Connections).
  • Expressions of Interest for Creative Connections are welcomed from creative practitioners and artists of all disciplines. They especially welcome those who have prior experience of, and are passionate about, working with children, young people and educators in schools.
• Creative Connections Schools:
  • Creative Connections will have 20 participating schools from Northern Ireland and 20 participating schools from Ireland (Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Cavan and Louth). In Phase 1 schools will participate in professional learning events with creative practitioners from their local area and collaborate with educators and creatives cross border.
  • Expressions of Interest for Creative Connections are welcomed from all schools: primary, post primary and special education schools.

For more information, visit gov.ie.