UK Arts, Culture and Young People: Innovative practice and trends

This new research provides an up-to-date account of the key issues that young people (aged 11 to 24) taking part in UK arts and cultural activities are facing, and how creative practice is responding to those needs.

It intends to be useful for arts and cultural organisations, practitioners, funders, and policymakers to better understand current practice and provision for young people in diverse geographical areas, and to inform potential opportunities for building meaningful international connections, relationships, and learning. Ultimately, it is hoped that the research can encourage further discussion and action, within and beyond the UK, to ensure that all young people have access to high-quality arts and cultural opportunities and that those supporting them to do so can be better networked and resourced. It acts as a basis for ensuring that what is working in arts and cultural provision for young people is further bolstered and young people are supported to achieve their potential in the light of global agendas such as the UN Pact for the Future: Declaration on Future Generations, the UN Agenda 2030 and the UNESCO Arts Education Framework.

The British Council commissioned this research as part of its international cultural relations activity focusing on the transformative power of arts and culture. This work promotes artistic and cultural expression in the widest sense and recognises its potential for a more inclusive and sustainable future through supporting artists, cultural practitioners, and underrepresented groups.

Key findings

Creative practice – Many organisations are challenging themselves to develop new and interesting ways to support young people. This can focus on developing creativity within a specific artform or enabling creativity more generally across multiple artforms and fields.
Co-creation and co-design – Young people are trusted to make decisions about how practice should be structured. Professionals see themselves as enablers of young people’s development journeys more than teachers of how things should be (or be done).
Youth voice and representation – There is value especially to sharing the practices in the research relating to youth voice, participation and representation nationally and internationally, to share good practice and models.
Local and global activism – Organisations see themselves as having a clear facilitating role for supporting young people to be activists, advocating for issues that affect them locally and globally using creative outputs and methods.
Sharing practice (UK and international) – Most organisations indicated that they would like more opportunities to share their practice with peers and funders. This was especially the case across the four nations of the UK, and in international contexts.

In sharing practices and learning, we strengthen our own art forms and create global solutions to issues. We break down insecurities and barriers when we collaborate. A socially engaged arts practice is a global arts practice where we can co-create for a better future. [arts organisation]

Schools are not equipped to teach creativity and young people with non-academic learning styles are being excluded from education which also has a knock-on effect on confidence and mental wellbeing. It can often mean that schools are not best placed to identify and target these young people or share other opportunities with them. [organisation]

Methodology

The research featured a rapid literature review, interviews with UK arts councils and funders, a survey to identify practice that inclusively supports the agency of young people, and nine best practice case studies.

Case Studies

The Agency (across the UK)
Beat Carnival (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Future Yard (Birkenhead, England)
Hot Chocolate Trust (Dundee, Scotland)
Nerve Centre (Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland)
Taking Flight Theatre (Cardiff, Wales)
Thamesmead creative studio (London, England)
WAC Ensemble, The Citizens Theatre (Glasgow, Scotland)
The Warren Youth Project (Hull, England)

Read the full report and case studies

Read the summary

Citation

Tialt – There is an Alternative. (2024). UK Arts, culture and young people: Innovative practice and trends. British Council. https://doi.org/10.57884/PY7M-2C92.