The focus of this project was to allow young people the opportunity to create and promote their own cultural activities, supported by the cultural organisations in the Consortia. The activity was necessarily unplanned, as the young people themselves decided on their activities.

The consortium partners provided a framework for activity and offered: a performance and a visual arts opportunity for young people to programme, promote and/or hold an event. This will provide real-life industry experience for the young people as well as developing more generic skills such as leadership, communication and project management. For the cultural organisations the project provided a way to engage with young people in a meaningful way and to ensure that their programmes contain content that was truly engaging for young people. We engaged three groups of young people (14-19 years) from Sherwood and Showfields to develop relationships with the cultural organisations in Tunbridge Wells:

TN2 Youth Club – introducing links with Strangeface Theatre Company and Applause Outdoors.

The Number One Community Centre - introducing links with Applause Outdoors and Kent High Weald Partnership ‘Buggs’, a community gardening project.

Kent Young Carers introducing links with Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery and The Forum, a live music venue in the town.

Highlights & Successes

Working with Young People

‘You took me on a journey one never to forget.’

The project worked with 31 young people in a sustained way and built strong relationships with a core group in each of the three settings. We worked slowly and surely to build interest and trust and have seen moments of extraordinary creativity and potential. We leave three groups of young people with greater awareness of the work of consortia members, positive creative, experiences and an appetite for more.

Working with Youth Workers and Community Organisers

We developed good working relationship with youth professionals in each of the three settings. This included youth workers as well as community centre staff and specialist workers supporting young carers in Kent. They have worked with us on the programme of creative workshops, taking part in activity, coming with us to behind-the-scenes tours of the Museum’s collection and back stage at The Forum. They have acted as promoters, choosing and hosting two performances from Applause Outdoors programme. Their support, generosity and genuine appetite for creative input, not only made the project possible, but also leave important relationships in place.

'Thanks you for all you bring, the group absolutely adore you and it's so lovely to be able to do creative things with them. Thank you!' 

Rosie Conroy, Youth Worker, Youth for Christ,

The Number One Community Centre, Showfields.