Creativity Works: Festivals

Creativity Works: FestivalsAn employability programme aiming to break down the barriers faced by young people when considering creative careers

Creativity Works: Festivals was an employability programme for a group of young people from Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth and Southwark.

Following on from the successful Creativity Works: Fashion and Creativity Works: Eastbury Manor programmes in 2014, a group of 35 young Londoners aged 18 – 24, who were not already in education, employment or training, were given the opportunity to gain authentic and exciting work experience within a citywide series of major festivals.

Live music events generate £2.2bn for the UK economy. These events attract 6.5million people, boost local economies and support 24,000 jobs a year. London attracts 28{5ff6bbac72e792e984822bce2e681cdd4a8865abc5042d331663700d6fe172eb} of all music tourists to the UK, with 1.8m visiting the capital each year, providing viable career opportunities for young people.

The programme began with two weeks of invaluable training and preparation for a number of roles in event management, planning, technical production, programming, social media, marketing, security and stage management.

The participants were then be provided work experience placements with employers such as Barbican and Music Managers Forum. One of the highlights of the programme was a field trip to Glastonbury where the group received a tour and masterclass from founder Michael Eavis to gain a once in a lifetime insight into one of the biggest and best festivals in the world. As well as Glastonbury, the young people gained behind-the-scenes insights at Lovebox, Unsigned Festival and Walthamstow Garden Party.

The ambition of the project was for the majority of the group to land permanent paid jobs or apprenticeships by the end of the programme and to set a gold standard for how young people can be involved in the growth of the UK’s creative industries.

Watch a short film documenting the group’s trip to Glastonbury by filmmaker Hannah Lovell below:

Creativity Works: Festivals was Mayor’s Fund for London programme, supported by the Berkeley Foundation and delivered in partnership with Create and A New Direction.