developing youth skills through our change makers programme

When deciding upon the focus of The Mighty Creative’s annual conference, the decision was made to include creative children and young people (CYP) in the development of the event, encouraging the challenge of perspectives and expansion of horizons for young people.

‘Creating the Future’ ran in June 2019 at the Curve Theatre in Leicester – attracting delegates from across the education, arts and cultural sectors. The passion and work ethic of our CYP involved allowed for a thought-provoking and insightful programme for these industry members to enjoy. It also allowed CYP experience within the creative sector but not strictly related to their prior work.

Five young people worked collaboratively on the project, and ultimately curated a fantastic day of talks, workshops, performances and discussions aimed at provoking questions and finally change. In the interest of promoting discussions, the change makers also regularly asked questions of the delegates, leading to a series of round table discussions later in the day. The participants even addressed the delegates themselves, showing the confidence and ownership they took from the project.

The young people involved spoke enthusiastically about their efforts, with the chance to work on something outside of their usual field of interest or expertise. Opportunities like this expand horizons and open new ways of thinking for CYP, showing how effective the change makers initiative has been.

For future conferences and events, the same approach will be taken, so if you think you could offer something different as a change maker, get in touch!