What Happens When Young People Lead Culture in Huddersfield

A week of making, questioning and creating

During the February half term, MakerWorld in Huddersfield became a space for young people to come together, share ideas and ask big questions.

As part of OffScript: Youth Power Week, young people took part in creative workshops across the town. These included filmmaking with Studio Bokehgo, sculpture with artist Mick Kirkby-Geddes, music production with Jam Factory, and a behind-the-scenes tour of Lawrence Batley Theatre.

Alongside this programme, Chol Theatre ran This Stage Is Ours. This week-long project explored power, voice and what it means to grow up in a world that often feels overwhelming.

Over several days, a small group of young people came together to talk, write, debate and create. Conversations moved between topics such as social media, misinformation, protest movements and global conflict. They also explored how headlines shape the way we understand the world.

Rather than beginning with a fixed outcome, the group allowed ideas to emerge through discussion, creative writing and experimentation. As a result, the process felt open, collaborative and responsive. Everyone brought their own experiences, questions and perspectives. Gradually, shared themes began to take shape.

From conversation to performance

Together, the group created Sentience: What If Things Could Change?, a spoken word performance combining poetry, projection and collective writing.

At the centre of the piece was a simple but powerful line:

A young performer stands beside a microphone holding notes during a spoken word performance at MakerWorld in Huddersfield. The stage is lit with pink and blue lighting, with a red chair behind them. The performance formed part of This Stage Is Ours, a youth-led creative project exploring voice, power and social change as part of OffScript Youth Power Week.

‘We are people with thoughts and feelings – not statistics on a page.‘

The work explored what happens when people are reduced to headlines, labels or numbers. It asked what becomes possible when we pause and recognise the human stories behind political conversations.

Throughout the week, the group experimented with writing, discussion and visual storytelling. As confidence grew, ideas became more defined. The process allowed space for complexity, uncertainty and curiosity. Importantly, the work remained rooted in the lived experiences of the young people involved.

Sharing work with an audience

The piece was shared at the OffScript celebration event on Saturday evening. MakerWorld filled with young people, artists and local audiences for a night of music, poetry and creative activity.

Live performances from Third Avenue and Sophie and Songs brought energy to the space. Meanwhile, creative activities ran throughout the evening. These included junk couture, portrait-making and poetry writing. Visitors also explored resources connected to themes raised during the week.

The atmosphere was lively, thoughtful and welcoming. It also demonstrated how creative spaces can bring people together to reflect, question and imagine different futures.

Young producers leading the work

At the heart of OffScript were three Young Producers. Over six weeks, they shaped, organised and delivered the event. They programmed activity, gathered resources, supported artists and helped promote the event.

Their work shows that young people are not only participants in culture. They are organisers, collaborators and creative leaders.

As one Young Producer reflected:

‘Through ‘This Stage Is Ours’ and the OffScript week as a whole, I felt that my voice and the voices of other young people were heard and valued. I felt comfortable and confident sharing my opinions, ideas and perspective, which allowed learning and growth to take place. Spaces like this are crucial in making Huddersfield an exciting, understanding and collaborative community of new ideas and shared voices.‘

Removing barriers to creative work

Access remains one of the biggest barriers for young people entering the arts. Many opportunities still rely on unpaid experience. However, this approach excludes those who cannot afford to volunteer their time.

Through Chol Theatre’s Young Producer Programme, supported by Arts Council England National Portfolio funding, the Young Producers were paid for their time and expertise. This recognises the value they bring and helps make opportunities more accessible.

OffScript was delivered in partnership with The Children’s Art School at MakerWorld and supported using public funding by Arts Council England. This investment helps create spaces where young people can experiment, collaborate and lead creative projects.

What happens next

The performance created through This Stage Is Ours will also be shared digitally. The spoken word piece will be recorded and layered with the projection created during the week. As a result, the work will reach audiences beyond the live event.

However, the week also raised wider questions about the future of creative activity in Huddersfield.

Huddersfield has a long history of creativity and collective action. OffScript showed that young people are ready to continue that story. Throughout the week, participants questioned systems, shared experiences and created new work together.

The week confirmed something important. Young people in Huddersfield already have the ideas, awareness and creativity needed to shape the future of culture. What they need are the conditions that allow this work to happen.

This includes opportunities to gather, spaces to experiment and support to develop ideas over time. It also means recognising young creatives as collaborators, not just participants.

If we want a thriving cultural ecology across Huddersfield and Kirklees, we need to keep building the infrastructure that allows young people to lead. This includes creative spaces, youth-led programmes, paid opportunities and partnerships that connect artists, communities and organisations.

Investing in these conditions allows young people to take creative risks, test ideas and shape the cultural life of the places they live.

Weeks like this show just how much is possible when those spaces exist.