LET’S MAKE CHANGE
Call for Participants
An invitation to creative freelancers to explore and develop their practice on the journey to a greener future.
Plymouth Culture champions creativity as a crucial tool in our collective effort to address the environmental crisis, and in the third year of our partnership with Art and Energy, we’re launching ‘Let’s Make Change’ a programme designed for creative freelance practitioners to develop their practice as part of a journey towards a greener future.
We are seeking 15 participants to join the programme which consists of workshops and 1-2-1 support sessions. Participants will receive a grant of £150 to support engagement and project development.
We are looking for creatives who have a project idea they wish to explore and who can benefit from this programme of support. (Note that a project can be about adopting sustainable practices into your work).
THE PROGRAMME WILL SUPPORT CREATIVES TO:
Be more confident to explore sustainable solutions in their work.
Have a broader knowledge about the multifaceted topics of climate change, environmental impact, biodiversity loss, energy challenge etc.
Be part of a stronger network of creative peers across the city.
Be excited by the power of art to create change.
Develop and share a new creative project/idea.
THE PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
03 WORKSHOPS (face to face)
06, 13 and 20 November 2025, 10am-12pm, at the Genesis Building, 235 Union St, Stonehouse, Plymouth PL1 3HN
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PERIOD (self-managed)
November/25 – End January/26
1-2-1 FEEDBACK SESSION WITH ART AND ENERGY (online)
End January/26. Dates and time will be agreed by the participant and Art and Energy
SHARING SESSION - PROJECTS PRESENTATION (face to face)
26 February 2026, 10am-1pm, local TBC
PARTICIPANTS REQUIREMENTS:
- Join in with a minimum of two of the three face to face enrichment workshops (06, 13 and 20 November 2025)
- Develop and present their project proposal on a 1-2-1 online feedback session.
- Present their project proposal to the other participants in a face to face sharing session.
The selected participants that comply with the above will be awarded a grant of £150 (One hundred and fifty pounds sterling) to support their participation in the programme and the development of their project. This may include expenses with childcare, transportation, subsistence, compensated working time, or any other reasonable costs that enable effective engagement with the programme.
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
Plymouth Culture and Art and Energy are inviting applications from creative freelancers that live or work in Plymouth and can commit to this journey and are interested in exploring themes such as (but not limited to):
Ways to reduce their practice’s carbon footprint (materials/energy/other)
Develop a new collaboration with a cross-sector partner specialising in a climate issue
Work with a new community / audience who have not previously been interested in the environment
Undertake a creative project exploring a new biodiversity theme
Trial new less damaging techniques
All creative practices are welcome including:
✓ Visual Arts
✓ Theatre
✓ Dance
✓ Music
✓ Writing (poetry, plays, novels, non fiction etc)
✓ Performance
✓ Film making
✓ Craft
✓ Design (including graphic design and illustration)
✓ Animation
✓ Libraries
✓ Museums
✓ Cultural education
✓ Cultural Management/ Cultural Development
✓ Heritage
If you’re unsure if you can apply, please contact Sabrina Candido for a friendly chat – sabrina@plymouthculture.co.uk
We’ll be hosting an online session to give more information about the programme. This is an opportunity for you to also ask any questions you may have before applying.
Date: Monday, 15 September
Starting time: 4pm BST
Duration: 1h
Online Information Sessions
OTHER KEY DATES:
Online information and Q&A session: Monday, 15 September, 4pm BST.
Deadline to apply: Monday, 06 October 2025, 10:00am BST
Selected creatives notified by email: 13 October 2025
Deadline for creatives to confirm participation: 17 October 2025
How to apply
The deadline to apply is Monday 6 October 2025, 10:00am BST
Please note that applicants must live or work in Plymouth. We welcome applications in a range of formats and are committed to making the process accessible to all. See below the ways you can chose to send your application.
Option 1 –To submit an online written application, please, fill in the online form by clicking the ‘submit application’ below. (You can download the offline submission form and use it as a template before completing your online submission form)
Option 2 – To submit an offline written application, please download the offline submission form here, fill in you application, and email it as a pdf or word document to sabrina@plymouthculture.co.uk
Option 3 – To submit your application in video or audio file, please fill in the online form by clicking the ‘submit application’ below. and upload your media when required. If you send us a video, don’t worry about what it looks like! Just a head and shoulders shot, filmed on your phone, is fine. The production values of the video will not be judged!
Please record up to 5 minutes answering the questions in the application form. (We recommend you download the offline submission form and use it as a prompt).
Download an Easy to Read version of the Brief here.
If you require access support for your application, please contact: sabrina@plymouthculture.co.uk
Plymouth Culture is dedicated to fostering a vibrant cultural ecosystem that nourishes growth, encourages connections, and celebrates the creative spirit of our city. We serve as a key force that brings together diverse stakeholders, from artists to organisations, to collaborate and innovate, and amplify Plymouth’s cultural richness.
The Art and Energy Collective is a not-for-profit group of artists, makers, thinkers and tinkerers who want to use their skills to respond to the climate emergency.
They specialise in designing educational mass participation artworks that help people connect with nature and take steps towards a brighter greener future and are interested in getting creative with energy systems.