Isle of Wight Young Cultural Changemakers
Explore our work on the Isle of Wight, empowering young people to lead and make change in their communities through creativity, as part of our Young Cultural Changemakers programme.
In numbers
So far on the Isle of Wight…
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1018
young people have made active change in their communities
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24621
community members have been positively impacted by our youth-led changemaking work
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767
qualifications have been issued to young people
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95%
of young people on the programme felt ‘heard’
Explore the creative projects
The creative projects that have taken place so far have been in direct response to recurring issues and concerns raised by children and young people on the island. These themes are Mental Wellbeing, Crime Reduction and Community Cohesion, and Youth Advocacy.
Health & Wellbeing
Young Changemakers on the Isle of Wight have had an incredible impact on youth health & wellbeing spaces on the Island, based on the experiences of service users, leading projects for and by young people. Collaborating with artists, the NHS Isle of Wight Youth Forum drove a garden makeover at St Mary’s hospital children’s ward, BTEC students from Isle of Wight College led the redesign of the Newport CAMHS reception area, and members of the Island Youth Mental Health Taskforce led the redesign of the Youth Trust mental health charity reception area. You can find out more about each of these projects and the impact they have had here:
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Youth Trust Mental Health Charity Reception Redesign
Young changemakers worked with a local artist to transform the reception area at a local mental health charity into a more welcoming and nurturing space.
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Newport CAMHS Reception Redesign
BTEC Art students worked with local artists to transform the reception area at CAMHS in Newport into a more welcoming space for the young people who use it.
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The hospital garden that sparked a refresh of youth spaces across the Isle of Wight
Explore the legacy of our youth-led hospital garden transformation on the Isle of Wight
Crime Reduction & Community Cohesion
They created a film that aimed to combat poor intergenerational relationships
Students at the Island Learning Centre worked with Independent Arts to explore themes of childhood, comparisons to the past and present, and addressing issues for young people today, particularly around social media.
They held a multi-day youth-led festival, ‘Ascend’
Ascend aimed to provide a space for young people to engage with the arts and their community. The festival also came as a response to multiple workshops with young people who raised concerns about a lack of safe spaces for them to go, getting teenagers into creative arts rather than crime, and improving the reputation of young people in Sandown.
Crime Reduction & Community Cohesion
With match-funding support by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner’s Emerging Needs Fund, four youth-led projects all aimed at crime reduction were delivered.
These projects were co-created with different groups of young people across the island, and explore topics from promoting understanding between generations to challenging the way children are seen and how they see the world. The projects share strong common themes of hope and using creativity for change. Explore:
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‘Perspectives’ Photography Exhibition and Book
‘Perspectives’ was an exhibition of photographs at Quay Arts in Newport and book, created by young people supported by the Isle of Wight Youth Justice Service (YJS).
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‘Flower of Life’ Installation Newport
Students created an artwork for Newport Bus Station to promote understanding between generations and better community cohesion, as part of a crime reduction project.
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‘Paint Pour’ Artwork Newport
Children supported by the Youth Justice Service (YJS) worked with artist Nathan Holt to produce a large ‘paint pour’ artwork with a strong crime prevention message.
Youth Advocacy
In these projects, students from Barton Primary School and Lionheart Pupil Referral Unit worked with local artists and creative practitioners on two literacy, oracy, & advocacy projects which explored youth voice and communication. The multi artform artworks and performances express the powerful opinions and concerns of the young people who created on these projects. Find out more here:
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‘Words Beyond Language’ Youth Advocacy Project Using Cymatics
Pupils explored the power of words and turned their own voices into multidimensional artwork using spray paint, acrylic prints, etching and text.
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‘No Decisions About Us Without Us’
With support from creative practitioners, Year 5 students used performance and various art methods to express their concerns to local decision-makers.
I am passionate about empowering young people to connect with their communities through creativity. I have seen first-hand the power of youth-led projects to make a real difference – not only to places, but also to the young people who participate, boosting confidence, self-esteem and connection to their communities.
Want to get involved on the Isle of Wight ?
If you’re a young person, artist or organisation and would like to get involved, get in touch below
Keep up to date with our upcoming events and projects by following our place-based social media for the Isle of Wight