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What If
What If? is Artswork’s national campaign calling for creativity to be prioritised for children and young people.
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Playland – Portsmouth
A vibrant, youth-led creative hub – Playland Portsmouth provides young people with a safe place to express themselves, build skills and experience.
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Breakthrough programme
A 6‑month employability programme that provides entry routes into the creative industry for 18 – 25 year olds who have struggled to find meaningful work.
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Young Cultural Changemakers
Connecting young changemakers with artists to explore ideas, before giving them funding to shape and deliver creative projects where they live.
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Young Consultants
Get a unique perspective on your business from bright young minds with our Young Consultants offer.
14 May 2026
The launch of our ‘What If?’ Campaign
We have launched our national campaign, ‘What If?’ campaign, calling for creativity to be prioritised for children and young people.
For too many young people across the UK, doors keep closing. What if we could change this through creativity?
Almost 1 million young people are not in employment, education, or training, with many struggling to progress into careers that they’ve studied and trained for. As of March 2026, its estimated that around 4.5 million children and young people are living in poverty in the UK, with data also suggesting more than half of young people are anxious about their future.
The social impact from creativity is needed now more than ever, not just for the benefit of our communities, but to open doors and offer hope to children and young people.
We’ve worked with over 20,000 young people and know that:
- 90% feel heard when taking part in creative opportunities
- 82% said that their confidence improved
- Creativity helps develop soft skills, confidence and resilience, all of which helps personal and or professional development
The Breakthrough Programme has allowed me to grow professionally without fear of judgement, pressure or making mistakes in the workplace. My confidence has developed massively throughout the process, and I am now able to open doors for myself more than ever, applying for new roles and putting my work into the world knowing that I belong in creative spaces.
Before getting involved with Artswork (at Playland), I honestly didn’t feel like there were many opportunities out there for someone like me. It can feel like doors are shut before you’ve even had a chance to knock. Being part of Playland has completely changed that. It’s given me real skills, communication, teamwork, confidence, and shown me that I’m capable of more than I thought. Working with people from all different backgrounds has opened my eyes to what’s possible and made me feel genuinely excited about my future.