Youngsters who want to get into the arts have the chance to plan, organise, perform at or run a mini-festival at the South Holland Centre.
South Holland Centre’s Youth Takeover Team and Lincolnshire One Venues network host the Emerge project that aims to give young people a start in the arts. The scheme will also offer an arts award.
“There are various ways for young people aged between 11 and 25 to get involved,” said South Holland Centre Manager Sally Harrison.
“This includes as producers/event organisers, performers or on the technical or marketing side of the event.”
Youth Takeover have in the past organised music and film events. The ambitious Emerge project will broaden the range of activities.
“Emerge aims to support the development of young people as creators, and as young artists,” said Sally.
“The key thing about Youth Takeover, which will be carried through into the Emerge project this year, is that young people are involved in the decision making and planning of all activities, in this case creating a mini-festival event on Saturday, April 21, 2018 which has some inspiration from William Shakespeare.
“Emerge will offer the opportunity to extend their activities into other art-forms such as drama, dance and spoken word – but it will be up to the Emerge team to decide.”
It is during the weekly meetings that the ideas will be brainstormed and roles decided.
Artists Mythm will work closely with the team to help realise young people’s ideas. “Mythm bring lots of different creative skills with them, in music, dance, performance and spoken word,” said Sally.
Assembling an arts festival from scratch will not only be fun, it will also be rewarding, as an Arts Award is on offer for those who take part.
Sally said: “Emerge participants will be able to gain an Arts Awards. This is a national scheme that recognises young people’s involvement and skills in the arts and creativity and the awards make good additions to young people’s CVs and university applications.”
With guidance from Mythm, a group has been planning the festival for a few months and want to welcome newcomers at 4.30pm on Wednesday, January 10.
South Holland Centre Marketing Manager Andrea Tait said: “This project is led by young people. Mythm are mentoring and listening to them but essentially young people make the decisions.”
Meetings will be weekly until the festival.
Anyone interested in attending can email project leader Leana Sherwood at [email protected] for more information.
