This Place, This Stage is a three-year creative programme that puts children and young people centre stage in Knowsley's cultural future.
It is an Arts Council England-supported Place Partnership delivered by Adlib, Heart of Glass, Kirkby Gallery, Knowsley Council, Make CIC and Shakespeare North Playhouse.
From 2025-2028, the programme is creating new opportunities for young people to explore their creativity, share their voices and discover pathways into the creative and cultural industries. Together, we're building a younger, more diverse and more ambitious cultural scene across Knowsley.
The programme also works with schools, youth organisations, cultural organisations and creative industry partners within and beyond Knowsley, supported by Arts Council England, Knowsley Council, Youth Music, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Irish Arts Council and others.
This Place, This Stage will create clearer pathways for children and young people to develop creativity, confidence and aspirations in Knowsley.
Many young people engage in creative activity at a young age, but opportunities often become less visible as they grow older.
The programme responds by creating new routes into sustained participation, leadership and employment. This work is delivered through three connected strands and often in partnership:
1) Making & Performing
Children and young people are creating, performing and exploring their own ideas through art, music and theatre. Key projects include:
- Stages of Us (Shakespeare North Playhouse)
- Protest Songs (Heart of Glass)
- Creative Class (Heart of Glass)
- Boys in the Making (Heart of Glass)
- Make Studio Residencies (Make)
2) Producing & Programming
Young people take the lead in curating, producing and programming cultural activity in their communities. Opportunities include:
- Kirkby Gallery Young Curators programme (Kirkby Gallery)
- Knowsley Music Festival (including Fringe and Young Promoters)
- Young Producer roles across the partnership
3) Learning & Pathways
Projects focused on education, creative careers, mentoring and infrastructure —helping young people find their place in the creative world, including:
- A new Knowsley Cultural Education Network
- Adlib Industry Days (Adlib)
- Young Creatives Network (Make)
- Training and development workshops, conferences and sharing events both in and outside of school settings
Throughout the programme young people will be shaping activities, influencing decisions and contributing to the evaluation of the programme, ensuring the programme reflects their ideas, ambitions and lived experiences.
Across all strands, the programme is connected through:
- Shared themes and collaborative commissioning opportunities
- Visibility and outreach
- Partnership working across education, culture and community sectors
Knowsley Cultural Education Network
THE MOON ON A STICK: A Cultural Education Strategy for Knowsley
The Moon on a Stick began with the words of a Knowsley teacher describing the importance of having the highest possible aspirations for every child—encouraging them to reach for the stars and believe that anything is possible.
The name captures the ambition at the heart of Knowsley’s three-year cultural education strategy. It reflects our belief that every child and young person should have access to rich, joyful and inspiring cultural experiences, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Culture can bring imagination, play and creativity into education. It can open new worlds, reveal unexpected talents and give young people the confidence to explore who they are and what they might become. Through stronger connections between schools and the cultural sector, Moon on a Stick will create more opportunities for children and young people to experience, make and shape culture.
It is a deliberately bold and playful title: a promise to think beyond what seems immediately possible and to work together so that Knowsley’s children and young people can dream bigger, reach higher and thrive.
Download The Moon on a Stick: A Cultural Education Strategy for Knowsley
Contact
For more information about This Place, This Stage, please contact: jack.welsh@knowsley.gov.uk
