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 Deepraj Singh Deepraj Singh, a young, talented Bristol-born dancer and alumni of our work, was commissioned to direct and choreograph Rooted in 2019. A contemporary dance theatre production, Rooted explores the duality of isolation and assimilation, bringing together unheard stories from young people experiencing isolation. Performed by a company of emerging young dancers, it examines what it means to feel alone. My main barrier, that’s still around today, is that there’s no one that looks like me in my industry. There’s no contemporary dancer with a turban, that I know of...anywhere. While thinking about making this show I kept coming back to the story of my grandparents, how they arrived in Bristol as one of the first families from India and created a community around them. Because of their experience I want to share the stories and opinions of those who otherwise won’t get heard. I knew that isolation was a big issue among young people and I wanted to know more. Some of the stories I heard were shocking – one young person hadn’t left their home for years. I felt that a piece about isolation and belonging could be really powerful, and Rooted was born. The collaborations I’ve had with other artists, and the support from Creative Youth Network, including affordable dance studios, have been invaluable. This commission has enabled me to learn how to lead, lead with others, communicate, value myself, the work and other’s contributions. I’ve learnt a lot through having a safe space to learn more about my own practice and still go on as a performer. That’s something that is great about Creative Youth Network, they allow people like me to see our progression and give us a stake in what they’re doing. Now I really want to strengthen the dance scene in Bristol - kind of educating the younger generation about dance. The secondary school I went to doesn’t have GCSE dance anymore and that to me is sad and scary because it makes dance less accessible. I believe the arts have the power to raise voices and share stories, such as loneliness and isolation, to inspire and change lives. Without the opportunities I’ve been given to develop my interest and talent in dance, who knows where I’d be today. Email: [email protected] Twitter YouTube If you'd like to support young artists such as Deepraj, donate now: Please select a donation amount (required) £15 Could provides a young carer an evening of fun activities, taking a break from their caring responsibilities £30 Could provide hot meals for 50 young asylum seekers and refugees to eat together during our weekly sessions £50 Provides a 1:2:1 session for a young person struggling with their mental health with one of our trusted youth workers Other Set up a regular payment Donate Manage Cookie Preferences How can we help?