Apple, London’s Southbank Center teaming up for REFRAME program

Apple will team up with the Southbank Centre on REFRAME, the pioneering new talent development program that will commence between March and August 2023 with a one-year pilot plan, reports Country & Town House.

Addressing (and hoping to remove) the career related systemic barriers faced by Black and Black mixed heritage young creatives from low-income backgrounds, the scheme is a nationwide effort, with Factory International Manchester, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) Birmingham and Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse also involved in the rollout.

The Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames. It comprises three main performance venues, together with the Hayward Gallery, and is Europe’s largest centre for the arts.

The partnership is part of Apple’s global Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), and is the tech company’s first expansion into Europe. The project also aligns with Arts Council England’s Let’s Create Strategy.

REJI is Apple’s long-term effort to help ensure more positive outcomes for communities of color, particularly for the Black community. Apple launched it with a $100 million commitment in February 2021. You can read more about the company’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative here.