24 Stories of Family Arts
LEVEL Centre
Youth Collective
Audience Impact & Innovation Award Nominee
“Youth Collective has also helped all of our family’s wellbeing, as we are happy when our child is happy and we also get to meet parents of the other members and get some good advice and feel understood/not judged as we have all gone through very similar experiences.” – Parent
LEVEL created Youth Collective, a free pilot programme designed to provide creative activities for young people aged 13 – 18 years who are autistic or neurodivergent. Many of those who attended were not in mainstream education, and have little means of expressing themselves or socialising.
Sessions were overseen by an expert facilitator who worked with creative tutors over 10 sessions, including claywork, shadow-puppets, printing, and movement. The group had dedicated time with other autistic and neurodiverse people their age. Parents were a key part of the programme – it supported their wellbeing and helped forge support networks. This pilot led to the creation of a regular group.
LEVEL is a small, rurally based charity with a RIBA award-winning accessible building. It’s fast becoming the national ‘go to’ contemporary arts hub for the learning disabled community and offers residencies for disabled creatives working with visual, performing and digital arts.
The centre is a National Portfolio Organisation receiving funding from Arts Council England. They won Best Arts Space in the 2022 Nottingham/Derbyshire Muddy Stiletto Awards and Bronze in the Accessible and Inclusive category of the Peak District & Derbyshire Tourism Awards. LEVEL is charity of Choice 2023 for Peak Village, part of The Devonshire Group who manage nearby Chatsworth House.
Open to the public year-round with a programme of exhibitions, digital installations and workshops for all ages, much of the work is produced by or with UK disabled creatives. LEVEL runs weekly classes including Youth Collective, a programme for young people (13-18 years) who are autistic or neurodivergent. In 2023 they are producing Glisten Fest, a sensory festival for audiences with Profound Multiple Learning Disabilities.
They collaborate and work in partnership across the arts, health, heritage and tourism sectors, and deliver programmes on and off site with partner organisations including SEN schools and day centres. They take part in national programmes that attract family audiences including Fun Palaces and The Big Draw.
You can discover all 24 Stories of Family Arts here. If you’d like to discover more fantastic organisations that meet our Family Arts Standards or Age-Friendly Standards explore the Fantastic for Families Directory.
LEVEL Centre has been shortlisted for the Audience Impact & Innovation Award in the Fantastic for Families Awards 2023
Awards Shortlist
24 Stories of Family Arts
Discover the shortlist and their 24 stories of arts engagement. Find out who is nominated for Best Family Arts Activity, Best Age-Friendly Outreach, and Audience Impact & Innovation.
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