What is Filter?

Filter is how cultural organisations in Birmingham show children and young people up to the age of 24 to things going on in the city that are designed just for them. 

Filter is your route to a Creative Future and the best way to find out how you can engage with the hundreds of arts, sports, heritage, activities, projects, and showcases in the city. Filter will try its best to tell you about all other activities for children and young people happening in the city. We also try to give you easy access to opportunities and activities plus exclusive discounts, vouchers and competitions.

What’s the background to Filter?

The development of Filter was one of the delivery strands of the Creative Future’s ll programme.

Since 2006, strategic partners in Birmingham have been working together to develop A Creative Future, a strategy for children and young people (0-19 years) and the arts. The aim of the strategy is to increase access to the arts, raise the quality of arts activities and recognise the achievements of children and young people in the arts.

A Creative Future II

A Creative Future identified four roles of children and young people in their engagement with culture – creators, participants, audiences and leaders. Creative Future II extends the model across the wider cultural sector. Birmingham young people should have the opportunity to experience the aspects of the four key roles and to progress from first experiences to independent and entrepreneurial activity and have theirachievements recognised.

For a Creative Future II

• Culture means arts, museums, libraries, archives and heritage
• Children and young people in this context are aged between 0 and 19
• Cultural practitioners include everyone producing, making or managing in the cultural sector, such as artists, curators, librarians, archivists or directors
• Artists include people creating original work in all the art forms, such as visual art, sculpture, craft, music, literature, film, dance and drama and using a range of media including digital technology.
• The strategy covers cultural activities that children and young people can take part in both in and outside school, as individuals, with their families and carers, and in groups 
• The Birmingham model for cultural entitlement illustrates (see Venn diagram above) how the creative future roles overlap. The vertical axis shows how we would like to see young people progress through from first time experiences to independent engagement and on the horizontal axis how they develop skills and understanding from basic to advanced

Further information about how you can engage in Creative Future Programmes can be obtained from Birmingham's Culture Commissioning Service, at www.birmingham.gov.uk/arts or to contact us please telephone 0121 303 2434 or email arts_team@birmingham.gov.uk

If you want to get involved with Filter...

Check out this website to find things to do and places to go 

Use your Arts Awards Creative Credit Card number to access the CREATIVE CREDIT CARD area 

Tell Filter what you think by emailing us at info@filter.me.uk

If you want to list your opportunities for young people on Filter...

Filter can help organisations share information with children and young people, we list  activities, offer competitions, share news and photos plus we offer vouchers and discounts to Creative Credit Card holders.  Join Filter Culture Network to share your activities for children and young people on you will need to register to gain up-loading rights to the site. Please click here to register

We can also help organisations with consultation with young people and help young people have their say about things that matter to them. Email us at info@filter.me.uk to find out more.