Vacant Premises
Since the recession began in 2007 many shops and commercial premises have become vacant. In 2009 the government started an "open space movement", encouraging organisations to make free or low-cost spaces, including vacant shops and offices, available for informal learning. This can be an effective way of taking informal learning into the heart of local communities.
Transformation Fund projects used vacant premises in a range of creative ways. They:
- opened up vacant shops in local shopping precincts offering a range of learning opportunities.- Starting Point Community Learning Partnership
- took over a disused town centre retail space for art and craft classes and a gallery space to exhibit work- Art Space - Dudley
- developed an abandoned shop on a rundown housing estate as a learning space and engaged local people to become community reporters - People's Voice Media
- opened a pop-up museum in an empty shop in Leeds offering learning opportunities about local history and heritage - Stretch
- created a "learning market" in local shopping areas and housing estates - Inspiration Market - Camden
Opening up vacant premises for learning takes a lot of hard work but can bring enormous rewards. These projects showed that when learning opportunities are made available in the heart of local communities people are keen to get involved. Many people who have never thought of stepping over the threshold of a college or a museum, will "dip into" learning activities in a local shopping centre.
There are many practical issues to be sorted out in opening up vacant premises for learning. Partnership working with other organisations can be helpful. From 2011 local authorities will have a new role in co-ordinating informal adult learning across their area, so talk to your local authority about ideas that you have.
Practical guidance about the legal and financial aspects of opening up vacant premises, and the benefits to be gained, has been developed by NIACE with downloadable templates and case studies showing what others have done:http://schoolofeverything.com/guide/venue
