Blackpool young people lead our creative future

It was great to meet Francesca, Macey and Katelyn – three students from Blackpool School of Arts who told me all about their involvement with Creative Fusion recently.

Creative Fusion is a the first youth-led Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) in the country, bringing together a core group of young creatives to design and deliver projects for their peers, providing a platform that builds skills, amplifies their voices and empowers them to become community leaders.

The young women (pictured in the main image with curriculum manager Andy Walker and Creative Blackpool project lead Kerry Vasiliou) were excited to tell me about events they’ve already led including a the recent Style Assembly at House of Wingz where young people shared their creations across showcasing fashion, poetry, dance and music.

The group is also working closely with our local adult LCEP and Creative Blackpool – made up of representatives from local cultural organisations and independent artists across the town – to develop an exciting new project for young people in Blackpool.

The Creative Passport will be an app for ages 11-25 to allow them better access to culture, learning opportunities, experiences and free tickets. This is such a brilliant initiative that will help our young people forge lifelong relationships with culture and get the best out of our town.

It was so inspiring to see the young women’s passion and hear about their vision for a more creative, colourful Blackpool. They’re taking part in a Creative Festival at BSOA on 13th June and I’m looking forward to seeing more from them then!