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Our Change Makers programme is making a real difference to those working in the arts and cultural sector in the Midlands, building skills, confidence and strong community relationships.

One of our core goals is that leadership and the workforce in the arts, museums and libraries are diverse and appropriately skilled. Diversity and equality are crucial to the arts because they release the true potential of our nation’s artistic talent – from every background.

Our mission is great art and culture for everyone - we can only achieve this if we make a commitment to promoting and embedding diversity throughout the work we fund and support. We call this the ‘Creative Case for Diversity’.

Our National Lottery funded Change Makers programme, which aimed to increase the diversity of senior leaders within England’s arts and cultural sector, is just one of the ways we’ve been working towards making this happen.

Having a diverse and confident workforce creates unique opportunities for artistic collaborations 

-Peter Knott, Area Director

Photograph of a smiling person (Lucy Nicholls) with fringed dark hair and clear glasses wearing a scarf
Photo by Lucy Nicholls / Stan' Cafe
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The funding was part of the Change Makers programme, and in the role of Creative Learning Producer, Lucy headed up an ambitious project to expand the company’s work with people in areas of low cultural engagement, including the Hodge Hill area.

With the project coming to a close, we caught up with Lucy to find out how being a Change Maker has transformed her outlook on leadership.

I now realise that I already possessed a lot of the necessary leadership skills– I just needed the confidence to apply them 

-Lucy Nicholls, Change Maker

“It’s been an incredibly valuable experience and one I am very grateful for. I didn’t see myself as a ‘leader’ before Change Makers, and certainly not as a ‘senior leader’. The experience has reframed my understanding of leadership, and of my own practise in relation to it, so it’s been a very interesting journey,” said Lucy.

“I have always found being directly connected with project beneficiaries hugely rewarding. However, delivering projects myself meant I was only reaching a limited number of participants and if I wanted the project’s positive impact to engage more people, then I needed to be in a position to set strategic priorities and make them happen.

“I knew that the further I moved away from delivery, even though I loved it, the greater the impact the decisions being made would have.”

And that’s where our Change Maker’s programme came into play.

A group of young people dressed in chef's whites dance on a black and white checkered floor
Photo by Stan's Cafe The Restaurant c. Kate Green
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Lucy continued: “I thought senior leadership probably involved wearing a power suit - thankfully it doesn’t. Nor does it involve sitting in a board room and pointing at graphs on a projector screen with a stick. To my relief it has mostly involved what I was doing before; organising, planning, reflecting, listening, facilitating, supporting and working with others.

As a Change Maker, I realised that I had actually been a leader for a long time. I was a leader within workshops, I was a leader in the rehearsal room and a leader when initiating and managing projects and making creative decisions.

“I have now found my leadership voice, but the skills I use are the same ones I learnt running my very first workshops.

“The Change Makers programme and the support from Stan’s Cafe has given me confidence and unlocked doors. I now realise that I already possessed a lot of the necessary leadership skills– I just needed the confidence to apply them.”

During the project, Lucy spent time working with the Kashmiri community in East Birmingham. By making work in community venues and schools, she successfully engaged with members from some of the poorest and most deprived areas in England where people tend to participate less with publically funded arts and culture.

One of the ways Stan’s Cafe encouraged people to engage was through drama. And by incorporating food into their performance, Stan’s Cafe: The Restaurant, they created a relaxed setting for strangers, from a wide array of different backgrounds and cultures, to literally break bread together, and enjoy a shared theatrical experience.

“We asked ourselves – how can we do a performance with young people that really encompasses a sense of community?” said Lucy.

“And food is a great way to get people working together and interacting.”

A young person dressed in chef's whites and tall chef's hat serves food as part of Stan's Cafe The Restaurant at Washwood Heath Academy
Photo by Stan’s Cafe: The Restaurant at Washwood Heath Academy. Photo by Kate Green,
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“There needs to be more risk taking when making work with communities – it’s the opportunity to do something really exciting. And it might fail – but that’s okay. Learning and making mistakes is vital to the creative process.

“Working in this way is beneficial for individual participants, but it also has a huge benefit for society as a whole and that’s what really motivates me.”

Working in this community-focused way, Lucy has inspired and encouraged youngsters in the Hodge Hill area to get involved with theatre. This has not only boosted their confidence and self-esteem but has also helped bring their families and communities together.

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England said: “It’s wonderful to see how our Change Makers programme has supported Lucy’s development, helping her to realise her leadership potential.

“Having a diverse and confident workforce creates unique opportunities for artistic collaborations, and we are really proud to see how this programme has helped Lucy prepare for the next stage in her career, as well as make arts and culture more diverse and accessible in Birmingham and beyond.”

James Yarker, Artistic Director, Stan’s Cafe said: “Lucy was a talented freelance artist with a great facility for working with young people and in community settings. It has been a privilege to help her step up to address strategic planning and learn leadership skills.

“Having Lucy as part of the core Stan’s Cafe team has helped us take decisive action to diversify our pool of artists, build stronger relationships in marginalised communities and make more art with more young people.”

Internationally acclaimed theatre company Stan’s Cafe was one of 20 organisations nationally to receive a share of £2.57 million from the Change Makers programme. As well as touring its theatre productions across the UK and internationally, Stan’s Cafe currently works with four primary and secondary schools in Birmingham. This sector leading creative learning programme is the subject of a PhD studentship at the University of Warwick.

Prior to Change Makers, Lucy worked in participatory arts and arts education for more than 10 years, delivering workshops and projects with children, young people and adults. Lucy built her artistic and leadership skills by designing, building and managing a new programme that extended Stan’s Cafe’s offer to young people beyond a school-based setting.

She added: “This experience has helped me recognise and connect with my mission and commitment to making sure that everyone has the opportunity to make and experience great art.”

Visit www.stanscafe.co.uk to find out more. You can follow @LucyONicholls

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