SUCCESS FOR EMPLOYABILITY INTERVENTION SCHEME WITH OVER 100 NORTH EAST YOUNG PEOPLE SUPPORTED5/21/2025 ● A successful pilot employability intervention from Mortal Fools supported over 111 Northumberland young people to unlock their potential and boosted skills and confidence. ● Future Ready targeted socially isolated young people aged 16-25 years old, and took a creative and person centric approach to skills development ● Future Ready will continue in partnership with Northumberland College, NCEA Duke's Secondary School Sixth Form and businesses in the region with a vested interest in the emerging workforce. An initiative tackling barriers to employment and skills gaps in the North East has helped over a hundred young people since its launch last year. CONNECT: Future Ready, led by award-winning theatre, drama and creative learning charity Mortal Fools, supported by North East Combined Authority, and funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, helped over a hundred young people during its pilot project, which ran from April 2024 to April 2025. Following the success of the pilot, CONNECT: Future Ready is now available as a commissionable employability intervention within Mortal Fools’ young people’s programme, with the organisation currently fundraising to enable it to continue. Designed as a person-centric needs-based programme, CONNECT: Future Ready is a targeted response to the impact that the COVID 19 pandemic and mental health crisis has had - and continues to have - on young people’s lives, particularly those who are socially isolated or not in employment.  The initiative provides intensive and intentional employability enhancing interventions for young people aged 14-30 years old, using creative practice and social sciences to unlock young people’s potential and support their employability skills development. Unlike other employability interventions - which often focus on getting people ‘CV ready’ and take a uniform approach in encouraging them into employment - CONNECT: Future Ready harnesses the power of creativity to boost confidence, capabilities and competencies essential for the workplace in a way that works for each individual. Over the course of the pilot, the project supported 111 young people in total, with 53 taking part across five intensive employability interventions. In addition, 31 young people completed three week-long interventions, achieving an impressive 26 Bronze Arts Awards - a Nationally recognised qualification demonstrating the development of a wide range of transferable skills.  Multiple masterclass workshops were held for young people interested in artform skills development, including specialist classes on animation, music making, set and costume design. As part of the initiative, Mortal Fools developed effective partnerships with local schools NCEA Duke's Secondary School and Northumberland College, and created strong referral partnerships with DWP, Groundwork North East, Kings Trust, Newcastle United Foundation, Northumberland Employability Network and Pride Action North East. The project also held three consultation sessions inviting young people from education and community settings to share their insights and perspectives of experiencing barriers to entering employment. Ziarlotte Gray-Johnson, Skills Development Coach (Work Placements) at Northumberland College, explained: CONNECT: Creative Futures is a one-day commissionable session for young people aged 14-18 years old, while Young CONNECT is a version of Mortal Fools’ training and professional development programme for organisations and teams adapted specifically for young people. Mortal Fools also delivers a range of Creative Careers Talks and takes part in Career Fairs, as well as offering a wide variety of free online employability content and learning materials. Kiz Crosbie, CEO & Artistic Director at Mortal Fools, commented: "Our dynamic, high impact employability programmes empower young people with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to progress on their professional development journey. To find out more about Mortal Fools’ employability initiatives, go to https://www.mortalfools.org.uk/employability or contact [email protected] 
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 Applications for Youth Theatre Together Conference are open now and Mortal Fools are delighted to be supporting the devising and delivery of the event! Youth Theatre Together is a direct response to the findings of the Youth Theatre Census and at the two-day event, together we will lay the foundations for a new national development agency for youth theatre in England. Youth Theatre Together is space for youth theatres across England to imagine a new future for our sector together. It will be a purposeful, joyful, accessible event and it’s free to attend. Over two days in Manchester we’re running a series of workshops, discussions and events that will contribute to a positive future for Youth Theatre in England. Why attend? 🟢 Opportunities to exchange skills, resources and ideas. 🟢 Build connections with colleagues from youth theatres across England. 🟢 Feel part of something bigger. 🟢 Help shape the future of the sector. Folks are invited to express an interest in attending now – this application process will try to ensure the event is broadly representative of the sector and country (based on geography, size, funding and activity). We particularly want those youth theatres who aren’t heard as much to have the biggest voice at this event. 💚 Youth Theatre Together Conference 📅18 & 19 June 📍 Contact - Oxford Rd, Manchester, M15 6JA 🟢 Conference is free entry, meals provided and attendance at optional evening social event - and accommodation and travel costs provided for everyone who needs them 📲 Deadline to submit an EOI is 10am, Monday 19 May Youth Theatre Together is organised by a group of six Arts Council National Portfolio youth theatres - 20 Stories High, Burnley Youth Theatre, Company Three, Theatre Factory, Mortal Fools and Prime Theatre - the same organisations who organised the 2024 Youth Theatre Census. It is led on their behalf by independent director and consultant Ned Glasier, produced by Emmy Lahouel and funded by Arts Council England.  |
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