The council has committed more than £355,000 funding over the next two years for partner organisations supporting hundreds of residents aged 16-30 to break into creative fields.
The first round of funding has seen an initial £178,444 awarded to 17 organisations who will help deliver more than 200 opportunities this year.
It will fund more than a dozen paid internships, as well as work experience taster sessions and a variety of skills and training courses.
Funded projects include:
- The Southbank Centre – will run a year-long Music Promoter’s course for 10 young people.
- The Young Vic – Two Lambeth young people funded to join the theatre’s paid internship Young Associates programme.
- Black Cultural Archives –30 young people to participate in a careers fair.
- Neon Performing Arts – A paid Assistant Artistic Director internship.
- Soundbank – Support for a dozen young people to participate in workshops to learn radio presenting, Djing and podcasting.
ELEVATE Careers work with a network of Lambeth organisations to open opportunities in the creative and cultural sectors for every young person in the borough.
It works with a network of partner organisations to provide paths into employment in these fields as well as offering skills and employment training.
A second round of ELEVATE Careers funding applications will launch in 2023.
Cllr Jacqui Dyer, deputy Leader and cabinet member for Inclusive Economy and Equalities, said: “Lambeth has so many exciting and unique cultural, artistic, and creative opportunities.
“These industries employ 22,000 people in Lambeth alone. Yet for many of our young people, getting a start in these sectors can often feel out of reach. ELEVATE Careers can help close the gap by opening up these opportunities, providing high quality training and real-world work experience in these fields.
“We want Lambeth to continue to be on the cutting edge of London’s creative and digital economy and we want to expand opportunities for all in Lambeth’s amazing cultural organisations that are available to everyone regardless of their background.
“Providing these opportunities means giving young people in Lambeth the chance to take advantage of the opportunities of the jobs of the future across our capital city.”
Letitia Johnson, a founder Elevator (young ambassador) played an important part in launching and shaping the ELEVATE programme.
Letitia recently represented ELEVATE by featuring in a GLA, Borough of Culture commissioned film and said she believed ELEVATE has given her the skills and confidence to explore her ambitions as a writer.
She now writes her own poetry as well as hosting writers rooms for poetry and script writing for other young writers.
She said: “I was part of ELEVATE from the beginning, and by getting involved I feel like I’m now part of the creative sector! With ELEVATE you can build connections, build a network, discover new skills.
“There are so many amazing, creative young people in Lambeth. If you’re one of them, then it’s time to join ELEVATE.”
Find out more about the ELEVATE programme
