About ‘Make it Happen’
Between 2021-2023, North Edinburgh Arts was part of Create Community Wealth (CCW) – a partnership project delivered by WHALE Arts, North Edinburgh Arts, SCOREscotland and Passion4Fusion, as part of the national Culture Collective programme.
Across both North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes, we worked with local residents and encouraged them to consider the potential of their creative interests, hobbies and skills, supporting them to develop these into products and services, to explore routes to market and showcase their talent to a wider audience.
As a result of the CCW project, we not only better understand the barriers local people face to becoming entrepreneurs and participating in enterprising activity but, through ongoing partnership work in our local area, we can take further steps to addressing the specific needs of local participants in North Edinburgh.
Our aim through the ‘Make It Happen’ legacy project is to continue working with participants of CCW, to work with local partners such as Link Up, NESSie, Passion4Fusion and the Macmillan Hub Skills Development team, to decrease barriers and inequalities to entrepreneurship, provide opportunities for everyone to get involved and to widen participation further to under-represented groups.
Between November 2023 and March 2024, we will be delivering a programme of free activities including a weekly drop-in ‘Make it Happen’ Lab; monthly talks, workshops and events with guest speakers and visiting artists; one-to-one mentoring and support; and more!
Join Make it Happen Lab
Tuesdays, 12.30pm to 2pm at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
The ‘Make it Happen’ Lab is a free, weekly, drop-in group for adults living in the North Edinburgh areas of Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Granton. Members can explore their creative enterprise ideas in a supportive group setting, working on individual or collective goals, with support, encouragement and advice from each other and the team at North Edinburgh Arts.
The ‘Make it Happen’ Lab is a great place to:
- meet people and make new connections
- share skills, ideas and experiences
- take time out to focus on your creativity and work towards your goals
- make use of a shared workspace with access to useful tools and resources
- access expert advice, support and guidance in a relaxed, non-judgemental setting
- connect with a range of local arts, community support, enterprise and skills development services
Who can join?
- Do you have a creative ‘hobby’ but have never thought of it as a way to earn some £ or as setting it up as a business?
- Are you at the very early stages of starting a new business (including being self-employed or a sole trader) and keen to learn more, share your skills or get some advice or support on next steps?
- Or maybe you are an established business owner, sole trader or self-employed person looking to share your skills and knowledge with others in your community?
At the ‘Make it Happen’ Lab, everyone is welcome, no matter what stage you are at on your enterprise journey. We believe everyone has something important to contribute, and by working together we can make a positive difference – Small Steps, Big Impact!
For more information, please email: Asia@NorthEdinburghArts.co.uk
The ‘Make it Happen’ project is delivered by North Edinburgh Arts, proudly supported by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.
