United Kingdom

When the UK left the EU, we lost valuable opportunities for youth in the UK. We lost Youth Mobility, which allowed young people from the UK to freely live, work and study in Europe. We also lost access to Erasmus+, which provided funding and opportunities for them to access education and training in Europe. The benefits of such schemes are manifold, including; 

• Education, language and skills acquisition.

• Personal and professional development.

• Economic growth, revitalising sectors with labour shortages.

• Improving international relations and fostering intercultural dialogue.

• Tackling inequality by providing opportunities for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In histories of art as in contemporary practice, we rarely consider where ink wiped off a printing plate ends up or how reams of trial proofs get recycled. When we celebrate end products of creation, we silence and conceal the flows of waste to which all making inevitably contributes. NET-ZERO PRESS, a new impact project funded by the University of St Andrews and let by Dr Ruth Ezra, aims to work with contemporary stakeholders, educators, and practitioners across the printmaking landscape of Scotland to "start from trash" as we trace waste flows in print shops and act on these data to propose strategies for making studio spaces (from classrooms to open-access workshops) less toxic and more sustainable.