FEATURE: MUSIC & THE PERFORMING ARTS Photo by Nickaarc Fine Art Photography
Making the world a better and more creative place: the importance of diverse young voices
Too often, the voices of children and young people are left unheard, and the challenges they experience remain unchanged.
Since 2007, Zest Theatre has been making space for young people to be heard, using creativity to amplify their voices through theatre and cultural experiences nationwide. Our response to this mental health crisis has been to listen more and speak less – understanding that the experiences of young people in 2023 are markedly different from those of young people in previous generations.
Impacting young lives I
n our final look this month at music and the performing arts we’re delighted to hear from Toby Ealden, Artistic Director & CEO at Zest Theatre, who explains how the diverse lives of young people can be enriched through theatre and cultural experiences.
Young people are facing a crisis. Maybe you’ve seen this in your classroom? According to NHS data, 1 in 6 young people aged 7 to 16 have a probable mental health disorder, that’s up from 1 in 9 in 2017. It’s a shocking statistic. This results from 13 years of cuts to public spending and the continual drive to increase standards in Education, coupled with the pandemic, the climate crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, and the rise of social media.
Arts, culture, and creativity have a unique ability to impact human lives. Being seen, heard, and celebrated through youth arts projects can be life- changing, especially at a time of continued crisis and increasing inequality. At Zest, we listen, learn, and then release the voice of a generation using theatre and public art to tell their story. Every year, we also create more opportunities for young people to lead across our organisation, enabling them to speak directly to local authority leaders, all to create change and make the world a better and more creative place for those under the age of 25.
For Zest, this process begins in conversation with young people. Every year, we meet thousands of young people through workshops in school and community settings. We create space free from parameters and expectations to allow
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young people to share – fine-tuning the rabble of the world to seek young people’s frequency. Through active listening, we give them our full attention. We ask lots of questions: what’s important, how they’re doing, and how they are feeling - respecting their experiences and valuing their opinions. From there, we make shows and artworks to share their truth; the good, the bad, and the inconvenient – all of what needs to be seen and heard.
This is about representation - representation, not adaptation. The stories and characters children and young people encounter in the arts should honestly reflect the beautiful mosaic of them and the world they inhabit. It is, therefore, essential that they hear voices and see individuals from various backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities, genders, orientations, and socio-economic groups, whether they experience the arts on stage, in books, on screen, or even in public spaces. When young people see themselves in these narratives, they develop a sense of belonging and self-worth. When they hear their voice, or their own story, shared and amplified through our performances or artworks, they realise that their voice matters, that they matter, that their words are powerful.
Earlier this year, we took a creative team of writers, theatre makers, and facilitators on the road to meet 650 young people in five towns across the country - five places with different experiences, each with a diverse array
November 2023
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