Young Producers: A Youth Voice Project

From March to June 2025, Severn Arts ran a new project focused on incorporating youth voice into the organisation. The scheme gave a group of young people aged 13-17 the chance to design and host an event as part of the Severn Arts Summer Festival.

Staff facilitated the young people in producing the event over a series of six planning sessions, set up and on the day delivery.

The aim was to break down the barriers for young people wanting to pursue a career in the arts by offering the chance to gain hands on experience in project curation, management, event planning and marketing. This culminated in the first youth-led event at our annual Summer Festival, ‘Creating a Sustainable Tomorrow.’

The Sessions

The sessions began with a series of icebreakers, drama games and co-creation activities. This aided engagement and communication early on in the process and allowed the young people to express their ideas for the project, without any boundaries.

"I have really enjoyed meeting new friends. It’s been an amazing experience to be part of young producers and I’ve loved developing the ideas since march. The whole event was so much fun and the learning experience has been amazing."

As certain interests began to emerge, the young people were able to sort themselves into smaller subgroups based on which areas or disciplines they were interested in. After settling on an event which would feature an art exhibition, a crafting station, t-shirt upcycling and music performances, the young people were encouraged to devise an overarching theme for the event to link all these elements together. Given their collective investment in climate action and the importance of this in their future, the title ‘Creating a Sustainable Tomorrow’ was settled upon.

After an introduction to the importance of cohesive marketing, the young people designed the poster, wrote website copy and created social media content to promote their event. With the help of Severn Arts, they also selected and appointed two professional artists to assist with the creation and delivery of the event.

The Final Event

The Young Producer’s final event ‘Creating a Sustainable Tomorrow’ showcased their ideas for creating a sustainable future. They aimed to foster joy and sustainability in the arts, and the event combined a craft station, an upcycling fashion workshop, live music and an art exhibition.

"I've thrived in the creative environment provided by Severn Arts. I would love to be a helping part of any other events the organisation has coming up in the near future."