Creative Dundee has teamed up with the Maxwell Centre and the Community Wardrobe to launch a new skills development programme.
The new project, called Cultivate, will create 12 paid positions for creative workers to be placed with businesses for a six-month period, across Tayside and Fife, with a focus on the environment.
In Dundee, one group taking part will be the Maxwell Centre.
In the Coldside/ Hilltown area of Dundee, the Maxwell Community Centre and garden team have been providing a welcoming environment for people to learn, share and grow.
The team support the community to deal with issues such as poverty, poor health and social isolation through creative and sustainable solutions.
Working with around 1,500 people every month, the Maxwell team hope to find the perfect creative individual who will help them find creative ways to encourage more people to use the gardening tool and seed library.
Garden
Manuela de Los Rios, community garden mentor said: “We are looking to find creative ways to engage more people from our local community to share skills and tools, reuse, upcycle and improve the place we live, work and play in.
“Our new library allows local people to borrow tools and seeds to grow food at home while the sessions in our local park take that one step further, connecting people and supporting our community in leading a more sustainable life, while improving their local park in the process.
“We work with lots of different audiences but want to do more.
“The creative sector can help us break down barriers and create new forms of engagement so we can highlight that we’re here for everyone.
“By taking a fresh look at what we do, they can help identify new opportunities to help us do more, empower others and achieve greater things.”
Wardrobe
Meanwhile, in the West End of Dundee, the Gate Church Carbon Saving Project is hoping that someone will help boost engagement with their Community Wardrobe.
Launched in August 2020, the project is focused on reducing the community’s carbon footprint by inspiring people to donate clothes and receive new ones for free.
Project assistant Joyce Reid said: “So many of us have piles of clothes which we no longer want or need.
“However, we have unfortunately become a rather disposable society, getting rid of things without considering where they’ll end up and automatically replacing them with brand new.
“Shocking amounts of clothes end up in landfill and that needs to change. The Community Wardrobe not only helps people who are experiencing poverty but also changes behaviours.
“We are looking for creative, out-of-the-box input which will encourage even more people to use the Community Wardrobe so second-hand becomes their first choice.
“The wardrobe also receives way more donations than people take away so we’re looking to grow the project while also tackling that specific challenge.
“We can’t wait to work with our Creative Practitioner and help the community wardrobe evolve, improve and make an even bigger impact.”
You can apply to be part of the projects here.
