A new five-year partnership commencing in 2025, will enable more young Londoners to explore, engage with, and enjoy the creative arts through a new Young Creators Programme in the City of Westminster until 2030. 

The Sir Simon Milton Young Creators Programme, Westminster, will offer over 600 young Londoners the opportunity to try their hand at new art forms through taster days, undertake creative arts projects alongside professional artists and gain insight into creative careers through unique industry experiences. 

A 2024 report showed that 78% of Westminster’s young people felt mental health was an issue, with 52% feeling it was ‘somewhat common’ and 26% feeling it was ‘very common’, while 50% of those surveyed felt worried or stressed*. The report also showed that pressures from the ongoing cost-of-living crisis have heightened many young people’s sense of vulnerability and fears for their future. 

Engaging in creative arts offers numerous health benefits, including positively impacting both mental and physical well-being, as well as helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and boost self-esteem. 

Young Creators delivers real impact. It increases confidence, improves life skills, builds knowledge of the arts as an engagement tool and a form of expression, and opens up employability opportunities. 

Creative arts encompass a broad range of artistic expressions, including visual arts, performing arts, music, design, and media. For every £1 invested in the creative arts, £2.23 is generated. The creative arts contribute £128bn to the UK economy, with research showing 2.4m people were employed in the creative arts in 2022. 

An awards ceremony will be held in Westminster to showcase the participants’ work at the end of every year.