For Gold Unit 1: personal arts development, young people extend their knowledge and skills as artists, explore the professional arts world and form a view on an arts issue.

Within Unit 1, they cover four vital areas of interest for anyone working in the arts:

Part A: extend your own arts practice

Extend your arts practice by developing new arts skills in another art form, genre or practice.
Work as an artist or in a 'behind the scenes' role like arts marketing or technical theatre.
Collaborate with someone else – a friend with specialist expertise; a more advanced practitioner; a teacher. Then produce an original piece of work which is influenced by the skills you've learned in the new arts area.
Share the work you make with others and review how this goes.

Part B: get involved in the arts world

Find out about opportunities to develop your arts skills and think about what you want to do in the future.
Take part in training or volunteer at an arts organisation. Aim for at least 5 days volunteering / work placement or 2 days training.

Read about Kate who volunteered and shadowed practitioners at lots of music projects.

Part C: research and review

Find out about more advanced arts practitioners in your arts practice.
Experience their work, their career paths and the organisations that support them.
Review as many arts events, exhibitions, performances or organisations as you can. These can range from venue-based performances to street art to live-streaming online.

Check out reviews and interviews by young people on Voice.

Part D: form and communicate a view

Explore an issue in the arts that interests you and form your own opinion. It might be a big issue in the arts or one that is very local to you.
Put together an argument based on your research and present your case to others. Find out what other people think of your opinion.

Check out the opinion pieces written by the Voice team.

Read the How To Guides to get you through each Part of this unit that our Arts Award Activists have written...