CONNECT: CREATIVE FUTURES
Creative Futures is a one-day commissionable intervention for young people aged 14 - 18; using creativity to enhance employability, boost confidence, and to explore their future.
Creative Futures is perfect for young people struggling with confidence, feeling disempowered, experiencing mental health challenges, and feeling lost and overwhelmed when thinking about careers. The day is designed to support young people with a wide range of intersectional needs and works well for neurodivergent young people.
For the first time in years, she came home with a big smile on her face. She was really anxious before she got there but managed it really well. After a terrible few years, this has given us hope. She felt listened to and really liked meeting other new people. She had an amazing day and she can't wait to do more with Mortal Fools!
-Creative Futures Participant’s Carer
We use Mortal Fools’ creative practice and intentionally scaffolded spaces to support young people to step outside their comfort zone and to embrace creative thinking when exploring their employability.
For those uncertain of what may come next, or where to start, to be offered a safe space with quality support to broaden their horizons is invaluable. And for the young people who have engaged in their Future Ready employability programme, the experience has been highly impactful.
- Vicki Clarke, Employment Partnership Coordinator,
Northumberland County Council
The Creative Futures day provides a unique opportunity for young people to engage with experienced creative practitioners, who guide them through a series of facilitated activities to explore their hopes, dreams, fears, strengths, interests and passions without judgement.
Mortal Fools treat each and every young person as an individual and they really take the time to listen to them. Many of my students felt out of their comfort zone, but with the support of your wonderful staff they really came out of their shell and built their confidence.
- Ziarlotte Gray-Johnson, Skills Development Coach,
Northumberland College
A TYPICAL DAY
Across a typical Creative Futures day, young people will:
- Use the theme 'looking to the future' to explore aspirations, ambitions, and careers
- Engage in practical confidence and resilience-building training activities, designed to explore strengths, life goals, passions, and new skills
- Develop communication skills and confidence
- Work as a team in practical activities to build teamwork skills
- Work with a guest artist (e.g. animator) and use an artform to explore a theme/question important to the group
- Build capacity for creative thinking and explore employability using creative tasks like music making, drama, writing, animation, and spoken word
- Chat to professional creatives about their journey into the creative industries
Skills covered across a typical Creative Futures day include:
- Comfort zone
- Creative thinking techniques
- Effective and authentic communication
- Growth mindset
- Resilience
- Reflection
- Team working and interpersonal dynamics
A typical session is facilitated by 2 Mortal Fools practitioners that have a wealth of experience supporting young people, and a guest artist.
Example animation created as part of a Creative Futures day:
In Autumn 2024, a group of young people worked with Mortal Fools practitioners and animator Lily Kroese to creatively explored their future aspirations and skills, and took part in lots of confidence boosting activities - which led to the co-creation of this animation.
COMMISSION MORTAL FOOLS
Creative Futures is commissionable by schools, youth settings, funders, and North East Local Authorities. Recent commissioners include: Asda Foundation, Northumberland College, Northumbrian Water, and Rise NE.
If you would like to find out more about our young people’s employability work, or if you’d like to commission Creative Futures in your setting, please email [email protected]
If you would like to find out more about our young people’s employability work, or if you’d like to commission Creative Futures in your setting, please email [email protected]
I would like to thank Scott and the team at Mortal Fools for providing such a creative and stimulating opportunity to our Travel and Tourism and ESOL students here at Northumberland College. The facilitators supported each individual student with care, patience, understanding and empathy relating to the mindset of young people. We would certainly love to work with Scott and the team again in the future.
