Arts Plan 2012-2016 - Offaly County Council

12offaly county councilThe general public as an audience and aparticipatorMany people who may claim to have no interestin the arts are in fact already participating inartistic activity. They may be avid readers,cinema buffs, festival goers, music fans orperformers or parents of a children participatingin a workshops. This plan is also for them. Theyare the audience, the appreciators and theparticipants and the plan will affect the qualityand accessibility of the arts in their lives atwhatever level interests them.Young peopleChildren have the most fertile of imaginationsand have no fear of expressing themselves. Toooften this is not promoted and encouragedenough into older childhood and teens andyoung people’s interest in being creative petersout. This is evident in the low take up in Offalyof creative career choices in third leveleducation. This plan aims to encourage andvalidate creative interest and self-expression inour youth.Senior citizensSenior citizens represent a growing proportionof our population and while many may beexperiencing the arts for the first time (as aresult of programmes supported by OffalyCounty Council Arts Office), many others havealready demonstrated creative skills which canbe passed on to new generations. By providingopportunities for them we can create new waysfor older people to develop personally andcontribute to the community.