Youth Groups
Hay Festival has partnered with groups in Herefordshire such as Marches Family Network, Close House, Hope Support and Hereford Young Carers, to work with young people with the aim of encouraging, developing and deepening creative involvement among communities historically underrepresented in Festival audiences.
While the story of every participant in this project is unique, many of the children live in areas of significant disadvantage, and all face systemic barriers such as experiences of homelessness, mental health issues, caring responsibilities, or disabilities.
High quality art workshops were run at the youth group bases with authors and artists including Steven Camden aka Polarbear, Jenny Valentine, Alex Wharton and Connor Allen. This year all of the groups created animations with MASH Cinema’s animator, Nick Brown, which were shown at the Festival in the form of pre-show reels. The participants were able to visit the Festival, with participants reporting increased confidence and improved access to cultural opportunities.
For vulnerable participants, the project highlighted how writing and art can serve as tools for self-expression and emotional escape.
“One benefit of these sessions was self-care: you've got to look after yourself in order to care for someone else. If you can't get out of the house, you can read a book. If you learn how to write it down, you can express yourself. It’s hard to access counselling and support but you could write a poem. A lot of the work we did was about wish lists. This was a chance to consider aspirations. If it helps them to meet their aspirations, to have a happy childhood, it's worth doing.” – Hereford Young Carers
