The Agency is kicking off at Blackhorse Workshop! As part of London Borough of Culture 2019, we won the bid to join nationwide partners Battersea Arts Centre, Contact Theatre Manchester, National Theatre Wales, and Fablab Belfast to deliver creative workshops that target deprived inner-city areas. Over the coming weeks we’ll be recruiting young people aged 15-25 from Higham Hill and Walthamstow to develop business ideas benefitting their communities, receiving a weekly allowance and a chance to win £2,000 to take their ideas further.

By joining The Agency, young people will explore the needs of their local area, go out into the streets to gain support for their plans and invite the local community to give feedback on their inspired entrepreneurial ideas. With a higher than national average population of working-age adults, Waltham Forest is the home to thousands of young people battling a saturated jobs market common to the Greater London Area, and are on average less qualified than their London peers. The Agency will be an opportunity for them to connect with local businesses and gain invaluable experience creatively building and pitching their own ideas with support from professionals in their community.

New Blackhorse team members Lucy Dear and Xenia Moseley will be running The Agency for the next year. Lucy is Lead Facilitator with a background in theatre and twelve years experience of running community arts projects with young people with companies including The Gate Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, Unicorn Theatre and Chickenshed. She is passionate about empowering young people and their ideas to bring about social change. Read more about her work at www.lucydear.com

Xenia is Project Manager with a background in design and education. She returns to Blackhorse Workshop after being a member in 2015, with work exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum and Southbank Centre. She runs a youth programme in London called Curiosity Club and is also an experienced maker. She’s passionate about producing experiences that nurture connections to cultures and communities surrounding us. Read more at www.xeniamoseley.co.uk

Are you interested in joining The Agency as a young person or mentor? Apply or register interest via our website here.

Xenia and Lucy from The Agency