Young creatives in Warrington are being given the opportunity to shape one of the biggest events in their hometown while developing their skills.
Arts charity Culture Warrington is currently looking for a new team of ‘Young Producers’ who will play a major part in this summer’s Warrington Arts Festival.
Anyone aged between 16 and 21 who lives or studies in Warrington and is looking to gain experience in planning festivals and producing and managing events are encouraged to apply.
The Young Producers initiative was originally launched in 2024 as a way for more young people to get their foot in the door of the creative industries.
Culture Warrington also wanted to retain and nurture homegrown talent by providing quality new experiences for young people to develop skills in areas like project management, budgeting and marketing.
It has been made possible as part of last year’s relaunch of Warrington Arts Festival funded by Arts Council England, Warrington BID and Warrington Borough Council, and led by an expanded and dedicated team.
Culture Warrington’s new cohort of 12 Young Producers will get to have a say about what happens at the festival, as well as being given the chance to create their own events.
Laura Mercer, Creative Producer for Young People at Culture Warrington, said: “We’re very excited to be launching the second year of our Young Producers programme for Warrington Arts Festival.
“This is such an amazing opportunity for young people in Warrington to take creative control of their own projects and events, and have real-life experience of working in the creative industries at a professional level.
“We’re really proud of the Young Producers programme and the opportunities it provides for young people in Warrington and we can’t wait to meet and work with more young talent in 2025.”
Through the programme, young people will have their own creative control and budget to plan their own projects from the ground up as part of the Warrington Arts Festival team.
There will also be opportunities to look behind-the-scenes at how creating and marketing events and venue management works at Culture Warrington, as well as the chance to meet and connect with artists and creatives working across the north west.
Joseph Roxby, aged 17, a Young Producer from the 2024 cohort, said: “I was always told that being in the arts can never be a career, only a hobby, but Young Producers provides that bridge of opportunity to catapult a young person into the industry. There is no other scheme that I know of that is this inclusive, this supportive and this inspiring.”
Following last year’s festival, many of the Young Producers have also continued to work with Culture Warrington on events all year round because they have enjoyed it so much.
Lizzy Thomson described the opportunity as ‘lifechanging’.
The 19-year-old added: “I now feel much more confident in my own skills and can’t wait to find out where this takes me.”
Applications are now open for the Young Producers call-out with a deadline of midnight on Friday, 31 January.
For details or information on how to apply, visit culturewarrington.org/2024/12/19/young-producers-2025 or email Laura Mercer at [email protected]
