The WayWORD festival has secured funding from Creative Scotland for three more years at The University of Aberdeen, The Gaudie has learned.
The festival is to receive a total of £150,000 as part of their new Multi-Year Funding programme. The University has claimed being awarded this funding for the first time will guarantee the festival will continue until at least 2027 and will provide additional opportunities for young people to be involved in the arts, its organisation and event planning.
Since 2020, it has supported young people in the North-east of Scotland to organise and host events such as workshops, author talks, performances and exhibitions. Young people/participants can join a committee and cultivate skills in event management, marketing and teamwork, and benefit from confidence building and professional skills development. The literary cross-arts festival which celebrates unique forms of expression is completely free to attend and, in the autumn of 2024, reached an audience of over 3000 attendees for the first time. It hosts a riveting line-up including creative writing workshops, artists, performers, poets and novelists.
In the words of the Creative Director of WayWORD Festival, Dr Shane Strachan; “This funding is a fantastic opportunity for us to be able to reach larger audiences and support more young people across the North-east.”
“We already have some great events in the pipeline but are excited to work with more communities to develop activities and opportunities which are important to them.”
Building on this momentum, the festival hosted its first event for the 2025 edition on Tuesday, 3rd February, inviting young people to get involved in this year’s rendition of the programme. The free-to-attend event allowed participate to test their creativity and learn about the festival committee process.
The programme for autumn 2025 is to be announced in the summer.
https://www.waywordfestival.com
