2022 has been a whirlwind of activity, aims, and achievement at The Mighty Creatives and we’re seeing off the year by celebrating all the wonderful work our team have been up to over the past twelve months. From January’s Young Empowerment Fund celebration to Artsmark Celebration Week and everything in between, we’ve been a busy bunch!
We kicked off the year by celebrating all the incredible projects made possible by the Young Empowerment Fund. We were joined by recipients of the fund, and creative coaches to shine a spotlight on all the projects created and delivered by young people. Visit our YouTube channel and watch the video from the event now! Watch video here
The first of our Youth Board Away Days was held at the start of the year, a full day of inspiration, creativity, and ideas. This day was the starting point for what would become the Without Walls event and exhibition in September – but more on that later! Catch up with Youth Board member Janah’s blog reflecting on the Away Day here.
Well Within Reach founder Jo Stockdale prepared a fantastic free wellbeing report, commissioned by The Mighty Creatives for educational professionals to better understand and support students in the midst and aftermath of the pandemic. You can download the report for free online now. Download the report here.
TMC are proud to have been a gateway for the DWP’s nationwide Kickstarter project, getting young people into work in the shadow of the pandemic. One of our own Kickstarters, Megan worked with the Communications team, expanding her skills and abilities in marketing, graphic design and more. Her blog looking back on her time at TMC is available to read here.
Working with Midland’s Virtual School Network and the West Midlands’ Arts Connect, we were part of the development of My Creative Track – a groundbreaking progression framework to guide care experienced children and young people, along with their support network to engage with arts and cultural activities. My Creative Track encourages connection, and allowing care experienced young people to fully engage with many forms of creativity. Visit My Creative Track here.
CEO Nick Owen first launched Boss Bike Rides in collaboration with Switch Up Nottingham in 2020, and this year took on his latest cycling challenge through Nottingham with Creative Colab’s Dan Lamoon. Aiming to raise funds for TMC’s Creative Mentoring programme, Boss Bike Rides has taken us through Nottingham, Leicester, Lincolnshire and more! Read Nick’s blog from April here.
Artist Hannaa Hamdache worked with two local artists, Gabs Ubakanma and Sarah Mensah on a globe sculpture to sit in Leicester city centre as part of The World Reimagined art trail. Between them, the artists conceptualized and created a beautiful artwork around the theme of Still We Rise. Funded by the Mighty (Un)Mute challenge in October, the globe trail launched in August. Read Gabs’ story here.
In partnership with ACE Bridge organisations from across the country, we were so proud to be a part of the second series of Amplify, episodes and videos profiling young voices in creativity. Following the success of 2021’s first series, videos in Season 2 saw visits across the East Midlands, including to Derbyshire, Lincoln and more. Catch up with Amplify here.
In September, our fantastic Youth Board coordinated, directed, and held a five day event and exhibition in Leicester around themes of mental health, education, environment, EDI, and employment and training pathways. With art, exhibitions and interactive installations created in collaboration with schools across the region and artist Sian Watson Taylor, Without Walls was a fantastic project driven by, and highlighting the importance of, youth voice. Hear from Youth Board members Connor and Samantha in our podcast.
It was no surprise to hear that children and young people had suffered with their mental health in the aftermath of the pandemic. Missing school and socializing meant that students had their lives turned upside down. Working with partners across Europe, we developed a research programme to fully understand the impact Covid-19 had on 14-19 year olds in the UK and how they compared to students in Europe. This month, Nick held a research webinar to explain the findings of the programme and how we can best support young people going forward. Find out more about Well-Be and download the free resources here.
Challenging a team like ours to stay entirely silent, with no note passing, emails or texts was always going to be tough, but to raise funding for The World Reimagined project, we knew we had to do it! The team gathered in October for a day of complete silence, and a total communication shut down to raise awareness of the voices that so often go unheard, especially those of the Global Majority. Taking a silent walk around Leicester to see all the globes proved to be a poignant and necessary challenge. Check out our blog reflecting on the day.
Following on from the Kickstarter scheme, we launched our Mighty Employers network to encourage employers to make the leap to employment for vulnerable young people as accessible as possible. With the Mighty Employers network, we offer training, support and guidance for this journey and the opportunity to apply for funding. Find out more here.
To say it’s been a busy year would be an understatement – and that’s not everything! 2022 also saw the launch of our podcast, the Employ ME scheme, celebrations of both Artsmark and Arts Award, the return of the Let’s Craft packs, plus work experience student Ashleigh’s Creative Writing Packs.
We’ve funded Digital Development Grants, launched another round of the Young Empowerment Fund, and above all, fought for the creative voices of children and young people. Whatever comes next, TMC are here to support creativity in all its forms and we’re looking forward to whatever comes next. Wishing you all the best for the new year ahead!
Want to carry on celebrating our achievements this year? Tune in to our latest podcast with CEO Nick Owen and Deputy CEO Emily Bowman!