Dreamchasing Foundation to support Young Producers programme 7 February 2023
The teams behind a Formula 1 car and a music event both thrive on committed groups of skilled, passionate people. The Dreamchasing Foundation has recognised the ambition of our Young Producers programme in training the next generation of creatives as part of our residency at Acland Burghley School. In recogition of the gift, the collective will now be known as the ‘Dreamchasing Young Producers’,
The talented group of 12 – 17-year-old students regularly meet and work in the OAE’s office to produce events such as ‘Live at the Hex’ with support from the OAE team. The skills-based development programme, trains students in artistic planning, event production, camera craft, set design and marketing. The scheme includes mentoring from those at the top of their field from the OAE and their artistic connections across the music and creative sectors. It gives students the chance to have real-world ‘field’ tasks at OAE events in addition to receiving secondments to other professional arts organisation for further hands-on experience. The scheme encourages mentoring amongst the students, as new cohorts join each year and the young producers are empowered to become the teacher once they have qualified through their own experience.
"It’s about giving people real life skills. When an orchestra moves into a school, people assume that our ambition will be to help every student to learn the violin. Of course, we are always pushing for musical engagement and at every level, but there is a lot more that we can offer besides. We have the chance to provide these young people with experiences they will never forget, the opportunity to develop their skills, and tangible work-experience which will train them and open up career opportunities for the future. This is what our partnership at the school is about - it’s about working with the community we are in, understanding its priorities rather than imposing our own and sharing the resource we have."
This major gift from Dreamchasing Foundation in support of the scheme and the new name are reflective of the values and ethos of the supporter behind it, founding shareholder and former Chairman of The McLaren Technology Group, Ron Dennis. His Dreamchasing Foundation seeks to provide opportunities for young people to pursue their goals.
"Dreamchasing is about making a difference and investing in the next generation; over the 15-years that Dreamchasing has been running, we have been privileged to support many different projects, initiatives, and talented individuals, all of which were lacking in funding, and enabled them to achieve their dreams."
The funding will be vital in allowing us to expand the offer to two cohorts of Young Producers, creating further production opportunities including working with the school’s media department to create an in-house documentary about the residency, and to launch a new creative video competition for students at the school.
"I am really enjoying young producers because I feel I'm actually learning something useful instead of something I feel like I will never use, which has always been my problem with school. So far, Young Producers has given me the experience to set up a recording, manage an event, operate a camera and work in a more professional environment."
