Minister praises NI people’s creativity

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Angela Smith, has hailed the ingenuity of the people of Northern Ireland as their key to a better and more prosperous future.

The Minister was speaking at the Lagan Valley Island Centre in Lisburn where she was closing a conference assessing the progress being made in the Government’s strategy to unlock creativity and to set priorities for action over the next three to five years.

Addressing over 90 delegates drawn from education, the creative industries and the arts, she said: “I am convinced that the cultivation of individual creativity can help to build a better future for everyone. In many walks of life in Northern Ireland, I see examples of people’s determination to make things better and to turn the negative into the positive.

“They are all using their ingenuity to improve life in everyday situations. That is unlocking creativity in action and it is a valuable commodity which must be encouraged.”

The Minister pointed out that as the Province had little mineral wealth to call upon, its real resources were its people. However, she stressed that many times in the past they had proved just how resourceful they could be. She added: “In today’s ultra-competitive global marketplace, we are living in an increasingly dynamic world where the ability to adapt to ever changing circumstances is an absolute necessity.

“The Government must therefore continue the drive to encourage people to come up with new things to do and new ways of doing them. We must ensure that Northern Ireland does not get left behind in the race to secure future economic prosperity and provide a better quality of life for everyone. If we can do that, then we can all look forward with confidence.”

The Minister was welcomed to the conference by its keynote speaker, Dr Ken Robinson of the Getty Institute, USA.

Unlocking Creativity is a cross-departmental strategy involving the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (which takes the lead), the Department of Education, the Department of Enterprise,Trade and Investment and the Department of Employment and Learning.

To support this strategy, a Creativity Seed Fund, worth £3 million, was established to support new and innovative projects which might not otherwise attract Government help.

(MB)