Youth Voice
Creating
Youth Inclusion

Nib Shared Vision together with Chickenshed theatre deliver a unique offering to address the issues of exclusion and ensure all children have an empowering voice. The partnership uses the power of the creative and performing arts to create a safe and empowering space for children and young people to engage in dialogue.

The project (supported by the Mayor of London) engages at risk children and young people in activities that both educate them on the risks and consequences of issues affecting children and young people today (including gang and knife crime) and provide them with platforms to communicate their challenges, solutions and ambitions to communities and key strategic stakeholders.

Project activities include workshops, performances, community debates, children, youth and professionals’ conferences and youth leadership training. Activities are all designed and delivered by staff and peers with comparable lived experienced. Through the activities children and young people are made aware of how their actions can affect positive change and improve their communities, empowering them to make their own positive choices.

Children and Young people (10 to 19 years in age) are directly and actively involved at every stage of the process design, delivery, presentation, feedback and then redesign and re-presentation. From the initial creation of workshops and performances presenting the issues, through to designing the conferences and debates, children and young people input how to affect their own social inclusion and that of others.

Research indicates the value of acknowledging different community identities. Communities that can embrace diversity, creative expression and cultural activity are richer, stronger and more able to deal with social challenges. The project delivers inclusive education and artistic involvement unlocking the child’s and young person’s voice as well as creating community cohesion and professional practice uplift directed by children and young people’s voices.

The project enables capacity building, mentoring with professional networks. It provides an opportunity for professionals and communities to get involved, take control of issues or risks to create an innovative, dynamic and child or young person focussed way of delivering sustainable change. It gives recognition to everyone in the community including professionals that they can affect change.