CULTURE & COMMUNITIES at Edinburgh Napier

Edinburgh Napier University’s expertise has impacted on culture and communities through research and teaching on creative industries, festival management, policing, life after military service, and recognition as a worldwide authority on tourism. Through our research and teaching our students and staff engage directly with communities. As Scotland’s #1 modern university, our research aims to tackle today’s challenges and make a difference.

‘Let’s play Wester Hailes’ is a collaboration between community arts organisations, WHALE Arts and the School of Computing funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering. It engages with young people living in Wester Hailes, a housing estate in South-East Edinburgh, to create a series of video games based around the local area. It also introduces young people to the software development skills required to make great video games which will encourage them to consider a career in games development.

‘Bleeding Saor’ is an example of a collaboration to change attitudes to tackle inequality. Led by the School of Arts and Creative Industries this award-winning project was designed to address period poverty and the stigma and taboo about menstrual education for young people in communities across Scotland and in Uganda. The project won the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Celebrating Festivals of the Future: Our academics are global leaders in festival management and export their expertise around the world. Edinburgh Napier University ran the Gulf Festival Academy to support attendees in developing their skills in festival management, stakeholder management and business modelling.

We want to work in partnership with communities and cultural organisations to solve problems. That’s why our pioneering applied expertise in successful Festival Management is sought worldwide.