‘By, with and for young people?’ urged us to be starting in the right way:
proper R&D, action research, consultation; creating and establishing pathways; linking up the offers; something tangible from any process, and for young people to create the agenda.

As co-hosts, we connected up the work of The New Wolsey and their Creative Learning Department and It’s Our Theatre, the THEATRE IS…talent development programme that proved so successful in its Norfolk Pilot and will be happening in different parts of the region in the coming months and years.

The ‘conversation’ has only just begun so as a new network those who attended have as yet no ‘manifesto’ that can be signed up to, however as a broad group of people we have a very clear shared purpose, a desire to put young people, or should we say the ‘next generation’ at the heart of our organisations. What’s also clear is that no one person or organisation has all the answers, but we share a responsibility to find them.

The steps may be small but the next is to convene a network designed to connect up those who want to develop the talent of the future, who want to ensure that all young people have access to high quality arts and those who trust the vision of the young. THEATRE IS…will be working with The Junction in Cambridge to plan the next regional symposium on November 4th.

To finish I want to leave you with the words of the next generation, one of the many young people who came to the New Wolsey on the 12th of June ‘Our time is now, not tomorrow, so let us have our time, not because we are a ‘young person’ but because we have the talent and the passion to make the best theatre possible.’

If you would like to receive information about the regional symposium and the very real and practical ‘stuff’ that it came up with then do please e mail me or if you would like to keep in touch with regards the next symposium.

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