Creative YOUCreativity is everywhere. Opportunity is not. We are part of the solution. The secret is in our name. Every year Creative Youth Network gives thousands of young people a taste and thirst for the arts and culture and the joy, life-skills and opportunity they bring. But we want more. Creative YOU is our campaign showcasing how we, you and the engaged, emerging and amazing young creatives we support, come together. We want to reveal how, together, we are ambition, quality, cultural democracy and social mobility in action. Every young person deserves the right to access creativity and development opportunities in the creative and cultural industries. It all starts with education. If all young people have access to creative subjects in school, then talented young people from all backgrounds can pursue their passion, develop crucial skills needed in so many industries and improve their wellbeing. 1. Pledge Add your name and join the many people passionate about bringing creativity back into our schools. With all the pledges we’ll be reaching out to headteachers in Bristol and the South West. We hope this will encourage local academies to give more space to creativity in their curriculum. Bristol, being the creative city we know and love, can pave the way for other regions to do the same, showcasing the true value of creativity. PLEDGE 2. Sign up Join us by signing up to our newsletter where we share best practice of how to support young people. sign up 3. Find out more Join us by reading and sharing our CreativeYOU report which shows how our work brings opportunities for creative expression and enables young people to explore their talent, regardless of background or circumstance. Download our Creative YOU report About us Blog Friendship bracelets and letters exchange: Bristol & The Gambia Our East Youth Work team have been working with local young people to make a difference to children in Africa over the last few weeks. One of our young people, Nyima Touray, is currently undertaking her Youth Achievement bronze award. One of her personal goals was to help children in Africa take part in some fun activities when she visited in this month. Word soon spread of Nyimas trip to Africa and other young people who attend Meadow Vale Junior Night and Hilfields Junior night also wanted to do something nice for the children in The Gambia. How could we bring two groups of young people together thousands of miles away from one another? Young people came up with the idea of making friendship bracelets and writing a small letter to separate young people. Staff supported the young people by buying the equipment and supporting them to write their small letters. Nyima also spent every day running different activities from teaching gymnastics, running arts and crafts sessions, helping to teach rugby with her 14 year old sister Kaira and taught dance routines. She is on target for getting her Bronze award but most of all have achieved her goal and making other young people happy. Nyima visited The Gambia (West Africa) and met lots of local children. She handed out all the letters and friendship bracelets from Creative Youth Networks youth groups and supported the young people to write a letter back. The young people loved the loom band bracelet making and also the knowledge the bracelets and their letters will be travelling thousands of miles back to the UK. The young people from Meadow Vale and Hillfields Youth Club are eagerly awaiting their responses from young people in The Gambia which they will be receiving this week. This has been a fantastic international opportunity and we're happy to have brought children from two continents together to enjoy activities and, most of all, have fun. Find out more about Hillfields Youth Club. Manage Cookie Preferences How can we help?