The Young Creatives

Cohort 1’s visit to MK Gallery

The Young Creatives is a skills-based programme designed to empower children and young people in Milton Keynes by supporting their mental health, resilience and confidence.  ‘Young Creatives’ is delivered by MK College and engages children and young people in arts and cultural activity in a way that allows them to develop the skills and behaviours they need for success. Three cohorts of young people aged 16-18 will develop essential transferrable skills for further education, higher education and employment.  MK College supports these young people to gain a better understanding of the cultural landscape (in MK and beyond), undertake training and then develop their own activities that other young people can take part in. 

Cohort 2’s photography and light installation workshop

The Young Creatives Project directly gives young people in Milton Keynes the opportunity to see how they can contribute to the city. It links with Milton Keynes Council’s strategic aim and brings together the grassroots participation with the more ambitions aspirations for the future through the voices and actions of young residents from a diverse background:

Milton Keynes, where creative experiences and opportunities transform lives’ Milton Keynes will be an internationally recognised creative and cultured city; known for the excellence and diversity of its borough-wide, year-round cultural offer. As a city, Milton Keynes will offer residents and visitors an inclusive cultural identity, where creative experiences and opportunities transform lives. (Milton Keynes Council – Creative and Cultural Strategy 2018 -2027)

Nationally it also links closely to findings and recommendations of the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education (2019) supported by the Arts Council and Durham University.

Listen to and watch more about cohort 1’s experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZpVJIx1lNA

FINAL EVALUATION OF YOUNG CREATIVES: BY FLOW ASSOCIATES

For a full evaluation of the Young Creatives Programme please access the report written by Flow Associates here: http://aha-mk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Milton-Keynes-Young-Creatives-Evaluation-Report-Flow-Associates-Oct-2022-FINAL.pdf