Community, Learning & Participation

Community Residence Programme

About the Programme

Having identified a need for affordable spaces for creatives to come together and work with communities, Creative Youth launched this programme in FUSEBOX, our new multi-arts venue on Kingston’s riverside, in 2023.

The successful organisation becomes our community resident and has 12-month access to FUSEBOX. The programme culminates in a Final Showcase in FUSEBOX, produced by the community resident.

Our aim is to make Kingston’s local community more resilient, and partner with others who are committed to engaging diverse audiences in the transformative power of the arts. In doing so, we will share our resources, spaces, and skills with the community resident.

2025: Kingston International Film Festival

In 2025, Creative Youth partnered with Kingston International Film Festival (KIFF) as our Community in Residence at FUSEBOX. KIFF used the space to deliver workshops, screenings and community events, while we supported their funding development and youth‑engagement activity for ages 5–30. Together, we continued FilmBox, a free monthly club for young and emerging filmmakers aged 16+.

Our collaboration also extended to festival activity, contributing to the shared vision of Kingston as a “Festival Town.” KIFF’s annual programme of screenings, workshops and events ran alongside Creative Youth’s FUSE International, with both festivals championing accessible, inclusive culture.

In September 2025, Creative Youth and KIFF co‑curated a two‑week exhibition for the Markets: Ghosts, Manifestations & Visions project, exploring Kingston’s Ancient Marketplace through film, visual art and heritage.

KIFF also nominated Joe Coombs Berry to join Creative Youth’s Young Creatives board for the 2025–26 cohort, ensuring youth‑led collaboration across the year. In addition, Creative Youth served as the official charity partner for the 2025 Children’s International Film Festival (CIFF), delivering creative pre‑production workshops for school groups attending the festival.

School children interview Dan Cartlidge, Co-Director of Creative Youth

2024: WOM Collective

In 2024, Creative Youth worked with WOM Collective as our Community in Residence at FUSEBOX, supported by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Community Resilience Fund. As part of the programme’s aim to provide affordable, collaborative space for creatives, WOM Collective used FUSEBOX to deliver a wide range of activities including paint jams, group murals and their final exhibition, ROOTED: A Street Art Journey into Nature.

WOM Collective, a grassroots network of London‑based female artists, brought their passion for empowerment, creativity and community engagement to the residency. Their work across the year supported people of all ages while championing the transformative potential of street art.

Creative Youth was delighted to develop a strong partnership with WOM Collective throughout the year, offering guidance on fundraising, local connections and organisational development, while jointly creating opportunities for communities and young people across the borough.

Over their year-long residency they delivered:

  • Three free public workshops at FUSEBOX, engaging participants aged 1–75 in murals, DJ sets, and street art
  • A targeted outreach project on the Cambridge Road Estate, engaging 35 young people and families to create a community mural reflecting their vision for the future of the estate as it undergoes Local Authority-led regeneration
  • RIVERFEST Residency during FUSE International 2024, with four days of free public art activities for families and young people on Kingston’s riverside
  • ROOTED Exhibition, a month-long showcase of 16 artists, with three free family workshops.
a group of artists sitting in a circle on tables
two artists work on a in-progress mural of faces