Inspire Youth Arts celebrate 25 years of inspiring young people across the county!

Published 14th March 2022

IYA 25 email banner.jpg

2022 will see the 25th anniversary of the county’s leading arts team, who have developed their own unique and award-winning approach to delivering innovative and accessible music, dance and digital arts opportunities, with children, young and disabled people at the heart of everything they do.

From TV appearances, to record labels, film production to concerts, the team have worked with over 40,000 young people over the years helping them to explore their own capabilities and unlock their full potential…including a performance at the BBC proms!

“It’s been a real privilege to lead a project
that has such an impact on the lives of Nottinghamshire young people for so
many years. That is our legacy”

Andy Dawson, Manager at Inspire Youth Arts (IYA)

Inspire Youth Arts has enabled me to develop talents
and skills I never thought possible. I was 14 years old when I started getting
involved with Inspire. They helped me to embrace and discover my love for
making and performing music. Inspire has always supported my journey over the
years and because of that it's got me where I am today. I am now 23 and am
performing at events and teaching music to other young people.” 

Jess Fisher, former participant and now tutor at IYA

For 15 of those years the team have been based at The Old Library arts centre on Leeming Street in Mansfield which provides a unique creative hub with a 100-seat studio theatre, professional recording studio, an exhibition area, café-bar, media suite and meeting, teaching, workshop and rehearsal spaces.  

The team are part of Inspire who deliver culture, learning and libraires on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, and who, in 2018, was awarded National Portfolio Organisation status from Arts Council England giving the Inspire Youth Arts team funding to deliver a range of activities accessible to young people with disabilities and to help develop and innovate digital arts. 

“Inspire Youth Arts has been part of Inspire since it
started in 2016 and is central to the work we do to inspire young people to
learn and enjoy culture. The team are expert in being inclusive and ambitious
in the work they produce and coordinate, with Nottinghamshire young people
right at the centre.  The 25th anniversary of the service is a great
opportunity to celebrate the impact it has had and look to the future of many
more opportunities to inspire new generations of creatives.”

Peter Gaw, Chief Executive Officer at Inspire

“This anniversary year is a
great chance for us to look back at the amazing work the Inspire Youth Arts
team have been doing with young people across the county. I’ve had the
privilege of attending many performance’s that have both entertained and left
me inspired by the level of creativity, inclusiveness, and talent that this
team has nurtured in their students. I really look forward to the future and
seeing the continued impact they have on the young people of Nottinghamshire”.

Councillor John Cottee, Chairman of the Communities Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council

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