On Wednesday 26 May 2021, Futurecity hosted the second Placemaking Happy Hour webinar in conversation with Young Creators UK at their meanwhile space at 72 Upper Ground on the South Bank. The discussion focused on Young Creator’s outstanding and unique model of empowering young people across Lambeth to create professional media and digital careers and disrupt the traditional routes into the mainstream media and arts sector.
“We do not change what we do, we do not cower from tough decisions, in fact we choose to do things differently, and we do it on our own terms”. Chris Taylor, Co-Founder, YCUK
Futurecity implemented PREVIEW; the meanwhile cultural programme to activate the existing ITV tower before clearing. The cultural ‘living lab’ PREVIEW also informs the development and design and community access for the future development. Futurecity has brought YCUK and other PREVIEW partners, Black Cultural Archives and Iconic Steps, into design workshops with architects and landscape architects to leverage their expertise as creatives.
The opportunity of this site has helped YCUK grow from their previous single room office in Brixton to create a fantastic multi-use facility that has supported over 60 young people to create commercial work, develop skills, and gain confidence in the sector. Since forming, YCUK have generated over 100 clients and delivered over 800 paid jobs.
“It’s a collaboration floor, you can come meet someone who does sound design, meet someone who makes some beats, and the next thing you know its two people collaborating on a project together, and that’s quite special”. Nhu Huynh, Associate Production Director, YCUK
The Young Creators UK space at The London Studios works because it balances access to professional workspace and equipment with strong equity of access and peer to peer respect and support. This equation produces a dynamic energy between all who participate and is manifest in the quality of the work for clients and the testimonials of those who pass through. From film to poetry, print to animation, music to graphic design, YCUK epitomises the future of dynamic creative production.
How are young people forging new pathways in the creative industries?
Futurecity explored how diversity and equity can be supported int the long-term offers and development can leave room for our NextGen talent to develop. Nurturing creative talent, and challenging the status quo are paramount. The industry must embrace a shift in representation in the media; more diversity, more trust in young people, providing them with the tools to enable them to learn and lead. YCUK’raised at the outset that, “As the world reopens, support and cost-effective digital solutions are needed for reentering a new volatile market, communities need a space to reconnect, and people need a reason to return to workspaces. Let’s support businesses and communities by creating change together.”
YCUK need a new home from July 2021. Contact Futurecity if you can be that visionary to provide them with a base from which to enable London’s next generation talent to give the industry what it needs. YCUK demonstrates the power of radical community production spaces that nurture individuals and their communities.
“Us setting the vibe and creating the culture, that’s what’s really brings people together and it disarms people when they walk in, they know the space they are walking into…even seeing your smile walking around the space today for the first time, that’s quite a common reaction to this space because people can sense what we’re trying to do here. It’s authentic, it’s inclusive, and we want to be successful, but not by ourselves, we want everyone to be successful so of course we want to invite you in, come work with us”. Yasmin Keil, Senior Director, YCUK
In case you missed it!
Watch the recording of the Happy Hour on our Vimeo channel: here
To find out more about the Young Creators UK, Cultural Activation Space, see their presentation: here
To find out more about the Young Creators UK, go to their website: here
Read more about Futurecity’s Cultural Placemaking Strategy work: here
All images and videos captured by YCUK.