Civic change, arts and culture

We support young people to develop their voices and to make those voices heard, whether that’s as artists and performers, helping to take the steps to making their creative dreams a reality, or as active citizens who want to have their say in making a difference to their local communities. Championing the power of young voices is something we’re passionate about.

Our services develop the creative skills and confidence of young people as individuals and performers.

We offer a range of activities for young people from drama, dance, and storytelling to photography, gaming, history and heritage, and filmmaking. As well as being fun, these activities enhance the communication skills and self-confidence of young people.

We provide workshops, masterclasses and commissions to develop the skills of young creatives in the Black Country and the wider West Midlands. For those who want to showcase their talent and present themselves to an audience, we provide opportunities to participate in performances and open mic events.

Two boys discussing lyrics in a recording studio session with the Music Ain't Diverse Enough project

The benefits of our programmes

Young people who are interested in developing careers in the music industry, including working as performers and producers, can also benefit from programmes that we offer. To find out more about these, take a look at our projects M.A.D.E and Homegrown31.

Through arts and culture young people learn about their own and each other’s personal and social identities, discovering and valuing their differences and what they have in common. They become socially engaged and our services offer ways for them to develop as active citizens.

Engaging young people and promoting dialogue

We engage young people through forums and events such as youth summits which promote dialogue between young people and professional local changemakers about the issues in their community. With us, young people can make a real difference to their communities by getting involved in social action projects which promote social, cultural, political and economic change. We harness the power of young people as changemakers by training and involving them in our services. By doing this we are nurturing our future leaders and providing them with opportunities to influence our future direction.

For more about the way we engage young people as changemakers, look at our project Homegrown31.