A Culture Strategy for Scotland
A Culture Strategy for Scotland (February 2020) shows how important culture is to Scotland’s prosperity and sets the future direction for supporting culture in Scotland.
It sets out a vision which recognises the intrinsic value of culture and the power of culture to inspire, enrich and transform people’s lives, our communities and the places where we live, work and have fun.
This overview of the strategy sets out the vision, aims and guiding principles as well as the three main ambitions which support delivery of that vision:
- strengthening culture
- transforming through culture
- empowering through culture
Actions
Each of the three ambitions are underpinned by a series of actions. The actions set out in the Culture Strategy have enabled delivery of the following
Three innovative programmes:
- Creative Communities aimed at supporting and empowering communities to develop cultural activities
- Arts Alive creative residencies pilot in schools, education and early years settings focussing on areas of multiple deprivation across Scotland
- Culture Collective a programme which supports creative practitioners, organisations and communities to work together across Scotland to help shape the future of local cultural life
A National Partnership for Culture (NPC)
A National Partnership for Culture to keep the national culture conversation going and provide a voice for the sector to advise Scottish Ministers on matters affecting culture in Scotland. This includes advice on promoting the recovery and renewal of the sector as well as recommendations for monitoring and evaluating the Culture Strategy through a Measuring Change sub-group.
Refreshed action plan
We published a refreshed action plan on 19 December 2023 which will support delivery of the Culture Strategy going forward. The revised set of actions have been developed in close engagement with key stakeholders across the sector. It responds to the challenges of the changing delivery context brought about by the pandemic, Brexit and cost of living crisis.
Background
We published the Culture Strategy on 28 February 2020. It draws on the themes raised by individuals, artists and creative producers, organisations and communities across Scotland through our national culture conversation which began in 2017 and the public consultation of 2018.
The engagement report, which summarises the key themes and ideas which emerged from these early discussions, informed the development of a draft strategy which issued for public consultation in June 2018. The draft strategy set out a vision for culture in Scotland supported by a series of ambitions, aims and actions that will deliver the new National Outcome for culture: we are creative and our vibrant and diverse cultures are expressed and enjoyed widely.
The consultation closed in September 2018. Almost 220 responses were received which demonstrated overall support for the ambitions, aims and actions set out in the draft strategy.
Respondents included individual artists and creative practitioners, community groups, public bodies, local authorities, sector representative groups and members of the public across the length and breadth of Scotland.
Read the consultation analysis report which sets out the findings of the public consultation:
Contact
To find out more email: culturestrategyandengagement@gov.scot
You can also share your views on Twitter by mentioning @culturescotgov and using the hashtag #culturescot