With over seven years of experience designing and facilitating arts-based youth programmes across charities, youth hostels, community centres, schools, social care settings, local authorities, and theatres, I’ve never believed more in the transformative power of art and creativity (in every sense of the word). Growing up, I struggled with mainstream subjects and spent a long time feeling unintelligent and underconfident. But I learned to find solace, strength, and a sense of identity in creativity—this is the same feeling I want to unlock in the young people I work with.

The defunding of youth services, the devaluation of arts-based subjects, and the alarming rise in school exclusions all reveal a dire need for safe, inclusive, and enriching spaces where young people can explore themselves and their creativity . Art is not a luxury—it is sustenance. It nourishes the soul, fuels resilience, and allows us to reimagine new realities, both for ourselves and the world around us.