The Story of Future Creative

Starting out in the creative and cultural industry can be really difficult. Many employers want you to have work experience before applying. But how do you get that experience in the first place?

Together with Third Sector Leaders Kirklees and Kirklees Year of Music we have been working on an inspiring and ambitious volunteer programme called Future Creative. Funded by Arts Council England, the programme aims to provide high quality volunteering opportunities for people aged 16-24. The idea is so that creative young people can get experience in different roles across the industry. The Future Creative programme also offers training and support for volunteers to meet creative professionals, learn new skills, make friends and update their CV.

Across the two years we worked with almost 200 people on a whole range of opportunities. Thanks to the funding, we could cover the cost of travel and food. This made volunteering much more accessible. We are so proud of the impact this has had. Lots of the volunteers have gone on to become regular volunteers in creative organisations. Lots more have found permanent employment or have gone on to further education.

One of the young volunteers who began the programme and described herself in one word as ‘lost’. She took up many opportunities, including supporting West Yorkshire Print Workshop on their creative sessions. The sessions helped her recognise her own skills in supporting others. And she became inspired to work in the future with children. The programme gave her the confidence to choose her own path and has since gone on to teacher training.

The scheme provided networking opportunities and the chance to learn from creative professionals. Luke is a student at the University of Huddersfield studying Film. Through Future Creative he learnt from filmmakers working in Kirklees. He even had some of his footage featured in Kirklees Year of Music films in 2023. He now has contacts in the industry who he can keep in touch with and continue to learn from. This experience will improve his future job prospects.

Volunteering is well-known for it's benefits including improving her mental health. Iqra struggled in the pandemic, which led to feeling of isolated and anxious. Future Creative pushed her to get back out there and meet new people. This has lessened her anxiety and built her confidence back up. She has now re-entered the world of work as a retail manager.

"When I was struggling with mental health, I had to take time out of work... Volunteering gave me the confidence to think I'm in the right state of mind now, and I can go back into work." - Iqra, Future Creative

"Even just getting to know one person can open up lots of opportunities" - Benita, Future Creative

For the theatre team Future Creative has been a wonderful project to work on. We have met so many talented and inspiring young people. We supported their training and development and in turn we have learnt so much from them too. Now we have this incredible pool of young creatives right here in Kirklees. We intend to continue to nurture them and work with them in the future. All these people now have the experience to support the creative economy of our town. We couldn’t be prouder of the part we played in that.

Hear more about the volunteers experiences here:

Listen to Luke's volunteering story on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Listen to Iqra's volunteering story on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Listen to Benita's volunteering story on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

If you are interested in volunteering in the Creative Industry in Kirklees, find out more here