From Silent to Spotlight: Speaking Up for Creative Futures at the RSA

I look at the crowd nervously and speak into the microphone. “I’ve never actually spoken into a microphone before! I feel very important right now,” I say. This statement is met by smiles – which helps ease my nerves and reminds me there is support in the room.

I don’t have a lot of experience of public speaking so I get nervous about it. So, standing up at a Royal Society of Arts Fellowship Festival event in Brighton - surrounded by changemakers, educators, policy people, cultural leaders, founders, CEOs, business-savvy people - an audience waiting to hear what I had to say - wasn’t exactly in my comfort zone.

But I think that’s exactly the point. Confidence isn’t something you’re born with - it’s something you build. It’s nurtured through experience, encouragement, and someone showing you the ropes.

This is the ethos behind the Coastal Catalyst project - giving young people the opportunities, skills and mentoring they need to break into creative careers and thrive in their future journeys, creative or not. 

But Why Did We Speak Up?

Creative potential lives everywhere. But opportunity? That’s not always evenly distributed or accessible.

In Sussex and beyond, thousands of young people have creative skills, passion and enthusiasm that don’t match the pathways they’re shown. The pathways are invisible, have steps missing, and mostly require assistance from people already in the industry.

Meanwhile, the opportunities creative employers are providing don’t always welcome the next generation – or they are unsure of how to bring in the younger generation to their spaces and opportunities. It’s a massive issue to crack.

But the barriers are real. Entry-level roles increasingly ask for experience that young people haven’t had the chance to gain. Networking still relies heavily on who you know - not what you can do. Many organisations want to help but aren’t sure how to include young people in meaningful, safe and supported ways.

And for young people? If they haven’t had a chance to explore their creativity - through school, community spaces or cultural experiences - they might not even know it’s something they have or are capable of.

The result? Missed potential, wasted energy, and a creative sector that doesn't yet reflect the diversity, imagination, and ambition of the next generation.

I’m 20 years old, soon to be 21. I joined the Future Creators team through a work placement via the Artswork Breakthrough Programme - and was thrilled when my contract was extended, making me a full member of the team. Before this opportunity, I was full of curiosity and enthusiasm to work in a way that aligned with my creative passions, but I felt completely lost, with no clear path, or knowledge of the careers out there and no one to ask for support. This placement opened the door - and changed everything.

Our talk at the RSA wasn’t just a presentation. It was a provocation. A call to do things differently.

We shared how Coastal Catalyst is building those missing bridges: between talent and opportunity, between education and industry, between what young people can do and where they can take it.

Because that’s what the Coastal Catalyst project is here to do.

We’re not just talking about creative futures - we’re building them. With young people. With educators. With cultural organisations, employers and communities.

We’re working with local organisations across Sussex and beyond to strengthen creative infrastructure and facilitate real collaboration - so that together, we can tackle the barriers young people face and offer them more valuable opportunities.

We’re working with young people to support them in finding opportunities.  Talking with young people on our youth boards and projects, championing youth voices throughout our approach to deliver opportunities and change that they want to see.

We’re creating spaces where confidence can grow. We’re designing pathways that are visible, supported and real. We’re showing the value of investing in the future generation of creatives.

If you are yet to engage Coastal Catalyst, then there are some simple ways to get involved: 

Are you a young person looking for creative opportunities? Follow us on instagram @FutureCreatorsUK and check out our opportunities on the ERIC app

Are you an employer, part of a creative/cultural organisation, or youth leader and want to get involved in the Coastal Catalyst Movement? Sign up our newsletter here and follow us on LinkedIn @FutureCreatorsUK