Dear Lothian: all aboard the summer arts programme!

Young people in Edinburgh and East Lothian will develop transitioning skills through a University Museums partnership project this summer.

The University of Edinburgh Museums Service will work in partnership this summer with Historic Environment Scotland & Scran, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and local charity, People Know How, to support young people in their transition to high school.

Dear Lothian is a 6-week programme of arts, culture and heritage activities designed to increase the young participants’ confidence and resilience, as well as enhancing their sense of belonging to and with their local area.

People Know How’s Positive Transitions service, which supports children, young people and families across Edinburgh and East Lothian, will help encourage and support Primary 6 and 7 pupils most in need of transitioning skills development, access and participate in the project.

Dear Lothian will open with a walking tour of the city centre, taking in some highlights of the University campus including St Cecilia’s Hall, Old College and George Square. In the weeks following, the young people will explore the grounds of Edinburgh Castle through photographs old and new, design a landscape painting taking inspiration from the City Art Centre’s current exhibitions, create a soundscape of their surroundings using the Sound Library at St Cecilia’s Hall and listen to and learn how to record oral histories with the University’s European Ethnological Research Centre.

Family, friends and the wider community will have the opportunity to enjoy the creative outputs of the project, as the young people will organise an exhibition on a canal boat, newly acquired by People Know How in partnership with Polwarth Church, All Aboard.

We are delighted to be working in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh's Museums, Historic Environment Scotland and Museums & Galleries Edinburgh. The opportunities provided through this partnership to our young people are fantastic, and we are all very excited to see the finished result!

Supporting young people to develop key life skills and realise their full potential is one of the priorities in the University Museum’s Engagement Plan. The Dear Lothian project will provide a creative vehicle for the young participants to gain confidence and further develop a sense of place, while contributing to place-making, in their own communities.

More information

For more information on Dear Lothian and the partners involved, please visit: www.peopleknowhow.org/dear-lothian