Arts Centre Melbourne today announced a new partnership with Australian youth music organisation, The Push. The partnership formalises an ongoing relationship Arts Centre Melbourne has with the youth organisation which will include mentoring, mental health workshops, opportunities to work with Australian Music Vault team and collaborate on youth outreach and engagement.
“After years of working together this partnership represents an important next step in ensuring the next generation of musicians and arts workers will thrive as we emerge from a period of great uncertainty. We have a lot to learn from each other,” said Arts Centre Melbourne Interim CEO Leanne Lawrence.
“This partnership demonstrates the impact a leading cultural institution and community organisation can have when working together for a common purpose; to build Victoria’s future creative workforce and promote contemporary music,” said The Push CEO Kate Duncan.
“By sharing our ways of working, we will be able to build organisational sustainability and growth, strengthen our creative communities and develop all-ages audiences for many years to come,” Duncan said.
The Push has provided young people with access to contemporary music programs and events for more than 30 years. The organisation has engaged more than 4 million young people and program alumni include Courtney Barnett, Alex Lahey, Alice Ivy, and Angie McMahon.
This new partnership builds on a long history with Arts Centre Melbourne most recently collaborating on The Push’s All-Ages Events Team program since 2017. Each year, the program has seen fifteen 14–18-year-olds who are passionate about finding career pathways in the music industry engage in an extended learning program that puts them in control of designing and delivering all-ages events onsite at Arts Centre Melbourne. The program matches the All-Ages Event Team with industry professionals across all aspects of live music to provide an understanding of the sector.
From 2017-2019, the All-Ages Events Team produced events in The Channel, Arts Centre Melbourne’s dedicated learning venue, located in Hamer Hall, featuring artists such as Georgia Mac (Camp Cope), The Chats, Slowly Slowly and Will Wagner (The Smith Street Band). In 2020 the program went online with the group designing a dream festival in partnership with Parliament of Victoria, and in 2021 and 2022 All-Ages Events Teams participated in delivering large-scale all-ages events at Sidney Myer Music Bowl as part of the Live at the Bowl seasons.
Each annual program has also employed stand-out participants of previous iterations of the program in paid positions to lead the youth teams in delivering the program.
For more information visit artscentremelbourne.com.au
Photo credit: Ian Laidlaw
