Creative Youth Employability programme

by Art4Space CIC in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

We did it
On 25th July 2024 we successfully raised £4,376 with 24 supporters in 0 days

A new studio space & programmes dedicated to repair, mending, and sustainability, focused on supporting youth to explore creative careers

by Art4Space CIC in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

If we are fortunate enough to exceed our fundraising target, we can expand the project's impact.  

First, we can extend the paid internship from 3 months to 6 months, providing a more substantial paid work experience for a young person facing mental health challenges.

Second, we can offer a second 4-week Arts Award course, supporting an additional 8 young people on their creative journey.  

Finally we would develop a "make and mend" class packs for Lambeth schools. These packs would include teaching guides and materials, equipping students with basic sewing skills.  This would be developed in collaboration with our school partners to provide reusable resources for Lambeth schools. 

  • Extending the internship from 3 to 6 months: £1,104.60
  • A second 4 week course for 8 x youth facing mental health issues: £1,320
  • Developing school ‘make and mend’ class packs: £1600

Who we are:

For the past 25 years, we've actively united communities in South London through art; building inclusive spaces where everyone, especially those marginalised, find belonging, recognise their potential and contribute to strengthening their community. 

Art4Space is a non-profit community arts centre engaging in art outreach services. Founded in 1999 in Stockwell, we use art to promote collaboration, self-expression and  build social connection. Proudly serving as the creative heart of Lambeth, we welcome 600 individuals per week. 

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We’re a passionate team rooted in our belief and lived experiences that art enables personal and community growth. Most of all art enables belonging. Our range of services offer a unique blend of design thinking, green skills, and our holistic wellness model.  

We believe everyone deserves access to the transformative power of art, and that's why we make it accessible to all. Investing our profits into the community, we have supported over 40,000 individuals with our award winning, free community arts programmes, which are specifically designed to support and improve individual and community mental health and well-being.

Art enables belonging, belonging is essential.

We are dedicated to being the leading arts centre in South London for mental health and well-being support. 

Our project: Creative Employability Programme for Young People in Lambeth, London

This project will use the funding to provide creative skill training opportunities for young people facing mental health challenges. 

We are opening a new space within our studios dedicated to repair, mending, and sustainable workshops, specifically focusing on supporting youth to explore careers in the creative industries

As part of our young people's employability offering, we will provide courses on repair skill sets and how to run an arts practice based busine1717172046_img-20240410-wa0009.jpgss.
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This project is raising funds to support 80 young people facing mental health challenges by providing them with creative outlets and opportunities for personal growth. 

The funds will be used to deliver:

  • Taster Sessions: 10 x 2-hour introductory workshops for groups of 8, introducing them to creative skills and building confidence.
  • Arts Award Course: A dedicated 4-week program for 8 young people, culminating in an Arts Award qualification, a recognised marker of artistic achievement.
  • Paid Internship: A 3-month paid internship opportunity for 1 young person, providing valuable work experience and financial support.
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Our experience in creative employability training: 

We have run an employability focused Social Action Programme (SAP) since 2012 60% of participants go on to employment or further education. 40% of our staff have come through our SAP. Over the last 2 years we have trialled repair and sustainability workshops with youth focused on employability and this new studio space is the result.  We aim to provide Youth with financial resilience through creative & artistic skill development, teaching practical business knowledge & signposting to further learning and employment opportunities within A4S and/or Lambeth.

A little bit more about us:

Art4Space (A4S) director, Julie Norburn, founded A4S 25 years ago with a passion for social equality and wanting to build a community where everyone can have a safe and healthy life, filled with opportunities for learning, creativity, and fun. 

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We enable South London residents to build resilience for life through art. We offer accessible creative  workshops for all ages, building confidence, social connections, employable skill sets and mental well-being.  

Our mediums include mosaic, ceramics, and textiles. We provide award-winning cost-free community arts programmes for those with mental ill health and facing social isolation and exclusion. Since 1999, we've supported over 40,000 people facing isolation, trauma, or mental health challenges. Including innovative interventions like our social prescribing support programme working with GP surgeries to provide creative art based solutions for well-being. 

Our team of trained artists (40% of whom are programme alumni) creates co-designed programmes for a lasting economic, social and mental impact for our participants. Each artist has their own qualifications, specialisms, complimentary skills and experience in education, mental health, counselling, teaching people with learning difficulties, SEND, enterprise and working in women’s refuge organisations.

Our strength lies in reaching those in our community who are isolated, experiencing trauma, have poor mental health, and need to build their skills, confidence, and social support networks. The children and young people participating in our programmes are often on free school meals, have special educational needs, have challenging home lives, experience low self-esteem, anxiety or other mental health issues, and are at risk of disengaging from education.

We believe that creativity is the most powerful tool to support people in disadvantaged situations, including those with mental health issues. Through our programmes, we have observed that participants experience a reduction in their levels of stress and anxiety, an increase in self-esteem, and a sense of purpose and fulfilment.

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£50 or more

1 of 30 claimed

£50 Reward

Mosaic in-a-box Create Space 4 Art at home; receive our popular mosaic in-a-box kit to create your own masterpiece

£20 or more

0 of 50 claimed

£20 Reward

Art4Space Poster We’ll send you our Art4Space Manifesto poster print.

£150 or more

0 of 20 claimed

£150 Reward

Class pass Get 2 of our classes for free, a choice of mosaic, ceramics, textiles, kintsugi and more! We will email you the details on how to sign up.

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