Do you have a creative project produced during lockdown that you want to share? A moment of cultural engagement that means a lot to you? Did you take part in a creative activity in your community that you want to shine a light on?

The Centre for Cultural Value is leading a national research project exploring how and why people have engaged with cultural and creative activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project will help us better understand the value of culture and creativity to people’s lives and communities.

If you value culture and want to add your voice to a collective understanding of the part culture and creativity has played in our lives over the last 18 months, then we invite you to share your experience on our  storytelling community – Valuing Culture.

The storytelling platform has been created as part of our national research project exploring the impact of Covid-19 on the cultural industries across the UK. It has been designed to help people record their experiences of taking part in events or activities with cultural organisations, and their everyday creative activities at home or online, with families, friends or communities.

Who’s this for?

Valuing Culture has been specifically designed with individuals in mind – whether you’re part of a community, voluntary or amateur group or just yourself, your friends or your family – we want to hear about your experiences of creative and cultural activity during the pandemic.

If you work for a cultural organisation we’d like you to share this with your participants and audiences. Valuing Culture is a platform to record individual experiences and isn’t designed for cultural organisations to submit their own case studies.

Why should I take part?

• By taking part you will be lending your story and your experience to research that will inform those directly responsible for supporting culture in communities and across the UK.
• Sharing your story is an opportunity to capture and reflect on your own creative projects or cultural activities.
• Valuing Culture offers a chance to connect your story with like-minded people in your community or interest area.

How do I take part?

Please visit Valuing Culture, create an account, and add your story.

What is the timeline for this project?

• Our research team will be conducting analysis of the stories uploaded to Valuing Culture in late October, so if you have a story to share, we’re asking you to upload it between now and 23 October.
• If you’d like to know more or have any questions about the project, please contact: ccv@leeds.ac.uk

A note on confidentiality
This platform has been developed as part of a national research project. Stories you contribute to the Valuing Culture platform will be part of a wider analysis by researchers examining the impact of the pandemic on the cultural and creative industries. You can contribute your stories anonymously or under a pseudonym if you prefer and you can withdraw consent for your stories to be used at any time. Your stories will also be available to view by visitors to the platform.

If you’d like to know more or have any questions about the project, please contact: ccv@leeds.ac.uk

The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of UKRI’s Covid-19 funding.