The Cultural Leaders Youth Employment Scheme provides paid work for six young people (aged 18-30 years old) every six months with London based charities – Poetic Unity, Theatre Peckham and Black Cultural Archives.
The scheme, which is part of the Poetic Relief Project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, gives young people real on-the-job experience in the charity and art sectors. The selected Cultural Leaders will run poetry workshops, events, provide support for the community and learn about the daily operations of the charity they are designated too.
The first cohort of Cultural Leaders started in September 2021, and they have been a great success. The Cultural Leaders have helped each charity extend their impact and they have learnt transferable skills they can use for future employment.
Ryan J. Matthews-Robinson, Founder and Chief Executive of Poetic Unity, said:
“The Cultural Leaders have been a breath of fresh air and have contributed to us supporting more young people in this time of need. To provide this youth employment scheme now where young people are struggling to find work is really important and I can’t wait to work with our new cohort of Cultural Leaders in the near future.”
Applications are now open
Applications are now open for the fourth cohort of Cultural Leaders who will start on March 6th 2023. If you’re 18-30 years old and would like to apply for this role please go to
www.PoeticUnity.org.uk/vacancies
Please note applications close on Tuesday 31st January at 5pm.
About the Organisations:
Poetic Unity is a Brixton based charity that provides support and services for young people across the UK. Our vision is to give young people a voice and to empower them to reach their highest potential. We use poetry as a tool to support young people’s mental health, education, physical health, community cohesion and personal development. Poetic Unity is a Black/Black Mixed led charity which works with some of the most marginalised young people in the UK. Founded in 2015, Poetic Unity has provided hundreds of events and programmes for thousands of young people to date. www.PoeticUnity.org.uk
Black Cultural Archives is the only national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving, and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain. Founded in 1981, BCA’s mission is to record, preserve and celebrate the history of people of African descent in Britain. www.BlackCulturalArchives.org
Theatre Peckham founded in 1990 is an award-winning cultural venue for artistic excellence and social change. Through the power of theatre, we illuminate young voices, provide skills and opportunities, and platform excellent creatives who are locally focused with a national and international vision. www.TheatrePeckham.co.uk
The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. National Lottery players raise £36 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £43 billion has been raised for good causes which has supported over 635,000 projects, benefiting millions of people – that’s 255 projects per postcode area.
We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
