Archive for the ‘Press’ Category

The Year Ahead: Co-Director’s 2024 Update

Posted on: January 24th, 2024 by cyEditor

Co-Directors, Archie and Daniel, share some exciting updates for Creative Youth Charity in 2024 …

 

Kingston Borough Business Magazine – January 2024:

Archie and Daniel chatted to Sarah Dale, as part of the January edition of the Kingston Borough Business Magazine. They spoke about CY’s exciting plans for 2024 and the opening of our new multi-arts space FUSEBOX.

Click on the article preview image below OR CLICK HERE to view the full article featured in this month’s issue and gain a wider perspective on the future plans for the Charity.

Kingston Borough Business Awards 2024:

We are beyond thrilled to announce that we have been selected as a finalist in the Best Charity/Social Enterprise of the Year category for the Kingston Borough Business Awards 2024.

A huge thank you to the team and judges at Kingston Chamber of Commerce alongside the other fantastic organisations who are also nominated. We are looking forward to celebrating with you all at the awards ceremony in February.

Keep your fingers crossed! 

Stay tuned for more in 2024 … 

Get ready for a journey into the vibrant world of creativity as we usher in 2024 at Creative Youth and FUSEBOX!

We have such an exciting year ahead with numerous projects and opportunities for both our young people to engage with and our audiences to enjoy.

Brace yourselves for the triumphant return of FUSE International, showcasing an extraordinary and diverse array of artistry from around the globe right here in Kingston from 28 June to 7 July 2024. Be sure to stay tuned as we unveil our captivating program in the upcoming months—anticipation is building, and you won’t want to miss a beat!

But that’s not all — FUSEBOX is gearing up for an exhilarating lineup of its own, promising a whirlwind of excitement. For a sneak peek into the exciting performances and visual art that await, be sure to check out our “What’s On” page in the coming months.

Don’t miss out on the action — 2024 is set to be a year of unparalleled creativity and innovation! To be the first to know about any exciting plans and opportunities coming up in the future, please make sure to sign up to our mailing list by clicking here.

Archie and Daniel 🙂

Changes in leadership at Creative Youth

Posted on: June 19th, 2023 by cyEditor

Making the announcement Robin Hutchinson MBE, Chair of the Trustees, said “We owe an enormous thanks to Louise who has been a brilliant CEO and leader of Creative Youth. She has overseen so many great initiatives for the charity and steered it through the enormously challenging times of Covid and onto new successes. Her work has been driven by a passion to ensure that young people’s ideas and voices fuel and direct our work. Louise is stepping away from the CEO role but remains with the charity to help focus on our fundraising efforts. Everyone involved with the organisation would like to thank her for her work.”

Creative Youth is excited to announce that Louise’s leadership role will be taken up by two young people with several years involvement with the charity between them. Archie O’Neill & Daniel Cartlidge will take up roles as Co-Directors from September. Louise will continue to support the new leaders in a part time role focused on fundraising.

Robin Hutchinson MBE said “The trustees have decided to keep faith with our driving mission to support young people in the arts by appointing two young practitioners to lead the Creative Youth and oversee the next stages in the charity’s growth.”

Outgoing CEO Louise Coles said “It has been the most fabulous and exciting journey to be at the helm of Creative Youth over the last few years – to see it develop and grow from a project-based organisation to a year-round one with the addition of our new creative space FUSEBOX – despite the challenges of Covid, Brexit and current economic conditions. Our young people are taking a greater role in running the charity with a board of 15 Young Creatives – and now two young leaders will take over my role from the beginning of September as Co-Directors.”.

Incoming leaders Archie O’Neill & Daniel Cartlidge said “We are both incredibly excited to be supporting Creative Youth through one of the most exciting chapters in our history. By working closely together, we hope to champion more young people than ever to make use of the spaces, programmes and opportunities provided by Creative Youth.”

Daniel Cartlidge is moving into the Co-Director role from his position as General Manager at Creative Youth. He has a passion for exploring and highlighting underrepresented identities on stage and supporting emerging artists within the industry. Daniel trained at both the University of Leeds and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, where he received a BA (Hons) in History and a MA in Creative Producing.

Co-Director Archie O’Neill is currently Community & Participation Manager at Creative Youth. His role involves collaborating with community groups, schools & colleges, youth services and artists from underserved backgrounds. Having previously studied at King’s College London and the Courtauld Institute, Archie has worked at museums and galleries such as The British Museum, The National Gallery, Tate and Dulwich Picture Gallery.

FUSEBOX Interview – BBC Radio London (February 2023)

Posted on: February 14th, 2023 by cyEditor

Catch up on today’s recording by either playing the segment from the above player or alternatively by clicking here to visit our YouTube Channel.

FUSEBOX is a multi-arts space for young people where ideas and imaginations will be sparked and dreams realised.

Creative Youth have long dreamed of having a creative playground in Kingston, a place for young people to produce work, try new things, learn, share and develop their talents. Now, that dream is becoming a reality.

Young people in Kingston get new creative space as Creative Youth launch FUSEBOX

Posted on: January 23rd, 2023 by cyEditor

Kingston Upon Thames will soon have a new home for creativity as FUSEBOX opens next month. This newly converted 750m2 space on the Thames riverside features areas for performance, exhibitions, creative practice, socialising, co-creation and more.

Situated underneath the John Lewis department store in an extraordinary space which houses the footings of the original 12th century Kingston Bridge and the remains of a medieval cellar, FUSEBOX will provide a vibrant new cultural centre for the area, its young people and communities, support the regeneration of the area and drive employment and training opportunities.

After a 7-month renovation project led by charity Creative Youth and supported by Kingston Council, John Lewis and the Mayor of London, the space will now open to the public for a pilot season of activities and drop-in tours of the space. FUSEBOX was named by Creative Youth’s board of Young Creatives and wider team to capture its dynamic multifunctional purpose and echoes the name of FUSE International, Creative Youth’s annual festival of performance (formerly the International Youth Arts Festival).

The pilot season includes Creative Sparks scratch nights, held every Friday from 3 February from 7-9:30pm, offering a chance to see a selection of new performance in its early stages of creation. Full details and booking can be found at fuseboxkingston.org

There will also be two free exhibitions by past and current Creative Talent Programme artists, Chiyana Ankhrah and Tanvi Ranjan.

Former Creative Talent Programme artist Chiyana Ankhrah’s thought-provoking exhibition returns to Creative Youth following its debut at FUSE International 2023. LABELS: Black Mental Health and Me is a photographic documentary that focuses on anecdotal experiences of 4 Black British men and women who are currently dealing with or have dealt with mental illness. This project uses their stories to explore the impact of situational and intergenerational trauma as well as racial bias within mental health services and how these elements can negatively impact Black people’s mental health.

Current Creative Talent Programme artist, Tanvi Ranjan, exhibits four pieces from her studio. Ranjan’s work explores subjects of the human-machine relationship while elaborating on the techniques of textile making and the role of women in sculpting the future of digital and information age. By highlighting the intersections between textile and digital information, the artist makes visible the complexity of modern technology and internet that is often obscured by the high-speed electronic transmission of data in the form of bits.

Speaking on the opening, Creative Youth’s Chair, Robin Hutchinson MBE said:

“It has been a dream for Creative Youth to have a home to support young talent to explore and develop their cultural ideas and practices. FUSEBOX gives us that opportunity in a remarkable new space that will be a playground for the imagination. Through our valued partnerships with Kingston University, Kingston College, Kingston Council and other groups and organisations we can bring together our communities to explore and realise ideas. FUSEBOX will bring a positive energy to this part of Kingston’s riverside and throughout the town, and we are extremely grateful to the Mayor of London, John Lewis, Kingston Council and many other local partners for their support and help.”

Andreas Kirsch, leader of Kingston Council said:

“Kingston Council has been working with partners to regenerate this area under John Lewis as part of its heritage-led Transform Kingston programme, to bring new opportunities for the borough’s young people and entrepreneurs. I am thrilled to see FUSEBOX opening. This is an amazing project, which will bring people together, giving them a space to be creative, to explore, and to enjoy. It will be a wonderful addition to Kingston’s great cultural offer, filling the historic place it will be located with new life.”

Artist Tanvi Ranjin said:

“FUSEBOX is one-of-a-kind space in the heart of Kingston for young creatives from all disciplines. As this year’s Creative Talent Artist, I am excited to use FUSEBOX for my creative practice and to connect with other artists. Its heritage backing would elevate the experience of the art that is produced, performed, and exhibited here. It is not only a platform for artistic expression but also for collaboration and co-creation. I am confident that FUSEBOX will bring together many artists and build a community that can grow within various art forms.”

About Creative Youth

Creative Youth is a charity based in Kingston-upon-Thames that exists to enable young people to realise their potential through the arts, involving them in innovative, original and ambitious projects. Projects include FUSE International festival and heritage project AMP Kingston; Art, Music and Pop Fashion.

Twitter: @fuseboxkingston | @creativeyouthuk
Insta: @fuseboxkingston | @creativeyouthuk

creativeyouthcharity.org | fuseboxkingston.org

PRESS CONTACT Elin Morgan, hello@elinmorgan.co.uk, 07984 816 948

FUSE International in What’s On Stage

Posted on: May 23rd, 2022 by cyEditor

FUSE International shows for 2022 have been announced. Theo Bosanquet explores this year’s festival programme ahead of tickets going on sale on Thursday 26 May.

The headline act at the Rose will be Ethiopia’s Circus Abyssinia, whose show tells the story of Derartu Tulu, the first African to win Olympic gold.

Other highlights include This Is Not A Show About Hong Kong by Max Percy and Friends, looking at censorship in Hong Kong; Shenanigan’s Wake, a “spoken word spectacle” from The Bobolyne Poets; and The Next Girl by acclaimed playwright Alex McSweeney, a series of short plays exploring the issues facing young women in society.

Read the full article here

Funding from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

Posted on: July 15th, 2021 by cyAdmin

Creative Youth has received a grant from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Creative Youth in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

Creative Youth is a charity that focuses on widening access to the arts to ensure all young people are given the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence through participation in creative and cultural activities and events. 2020 has demonstrated how vital the arts are to everyone and how important it is for platforms to exist for young people to share their thoughts and be involved in high-quality creative programmes.