Young Producers: A launchpad for aspiring creatives

According to recent research, Thanet has the highest rate of youth unemployment in the South East (9.4%). Young people based in regional and coastal areas are also half as likely to go to university and twice as likely to give up on aspirational careers, when compared to their counterparts living in city and suburban areas. In response to this pressing issue, POW created its annual Young Producers programme. The programme offers a safe and nurturing environment for young people to gain confidence, learn key skills, and build relationships in order to secure employment within the creative industry.

The 8-month programme attracts students enrolled in Arts, Music, Media, and Drama studies, and operates in close partnership with Broadstairs College. This year, the programme mentored three Media students; Sophia, Courtney, and Liberty. Guided by POW's dedicated Engagement Coordinator, Susan, each mentee was assigned with tasks designed to stretch their boundaries, nurture resilience, and cultivate essential skills for future employment. 

For Sophia, a major challenge was having the confidence to approach people in order to build up a professional network. “To take that courageous step and ask for someone's help - that's daunting. So for me, that was probably one of the biggest appeals at the beginning.” Sophia was assigned as Head of Business to lead engagement with local shop owners around involvement in POW’s Youth Art Trail. With the support of the POW team and her fellow mentees, Sophia successfully pitched to over 20 shop owners across Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate to get agreement to show artwork in their shops. For Sophia, it was an incredible confidence boost: 

“Now I know that I have the ability to network, which is something I didn't know I could do before, and very rarely do you ever come across an experience like this where you can learn those skills in a safe place.”

As a Young Producer, Sophia was also able to pursue her love of writing by creating blog posts on POW's website and having work published in a zine. Since then, Sophia has also been involved with the Margate Books Publishers programme, which has been an affirming experience: 

“I can write things that people want to engage with. I have an opinion that people want to hear. It's very validating to know that people want to hear your voice.” 

For Courtney, feeling confident enough to share her ideas with others was something she wanted to improve. Tasked with the role of lead presenter, Courtney was responsible for delivering talks about the POW festival and gender equality to Broadstairs College students.

Courtney positively channelled her nervous energy, stepped up to the challenge and completed several talks along with her fellow mentees:

“I was so glad we got it done and it was also successful. It was a really good feeling.”

The opportunity to practise public speaking in a supportive environment was transformational for Courtney:  

“I found it hard to just start a conversation before, but now I am more willing to jump head first into a conversation, or a scenario, or an opportunity.” 

Courtney was also assigned as Head of Communications for the Young Producers which involved creating social media content and shadowing the POW team during the festival. As a recently accepted Marketing and Communications student, this experience was invaluable for Courtney. 

For Liberty, having the confidence and connections to start a career in Interior Design was a key area of focus. In order to hone her skills, Liberty was tasked with designing posters and digital maps for the Youth Art Trail. “It really boosted my confidence around my ability to design things, and have the confidence to reach out to people.” The programme also enabled Liberty to research and connect with local interior designers, and consider combining her love of interior design with web design. This experience has been incredibly rewarding for Liberty: 

“I just believe in myself now. I wasn’t able to do that before. And since I’ve been with POW, I believe I can do this.”

Thanks to POW’s Young Producers programme, two out of the three mentees are now in paid work in the cultural sector.  POW is now actively seeking funding to develop and expand the Young Producers programme in order to serve a greater number of young people in Thanet.