Burberry Launches a New Educational Charity Initiative
It aims to provide evidence of the positive effects of creative learning on young students
The Burberry Foundation, an independent charity launched by the brand, has announced a new educational initiative for schools in Yorkshire.
In partnership with King's College London, the four-year initiative aims to measure the impact that an arts and creative education can have on young students’ lives. Working with eight participating schools, research undertaken by the university will assess how disciplines such as film, dance, art and theatre can impact students’ academic and personal development, with the aim to provide evidence of the positive effects of creative learning.
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As part of the project, local arts organisations including Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Young Film, Northern Ballet and the art gallery Hepworth Wakefield, will provide artists-in-residence to the eight participating schools.
"At Burberry, we believe that creativity should be nurtured, and we are passionate about championing the benefits of making arts and culture available to all," Leanne Wood, a trustee of the Burberry Foundation and chief people, strategy and corporate affairs officer at Burberry, told WWD.
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"We want to inspire young people across the country to explore the wide variety of ways they can be involved in the creative industries, and help to create a wealth of talent for one of Britain’s most important sectors," she added.
The initiative comes at a time when British schools and universities are facing funding cuts for their arts programmes. Richard Quinn notably raised this issue at his spring 2019 show, personally inviting a number of GSCE and A-level art students from local state schools to sit front row in an effort to highlight the 34% drop in arts GCSE entries between 2010 and 2018.
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR UK.