Unlocking Creativity:
Why Young People Need Better Access to the Arts and How You Can Help

A young person spends around 80% of their waking hours outside school each year, equivalent to four out of every five days. Those hours stretch across after-school time, evenings, weekends and holidays. Yet for too many young people in England, there simply aren’t enough places to go, or things to do that reflect their interests or their talents.

Much has been said about rising levels of passive or unproductive screen time. But this issue doesn’t disappear as young people grow older. Costs rise, options narrow, and leisure activities become harder to access. Sport still offers a route into regular participation for some, whether that’s taking part locally or watching from the stands, but in the arts too often access is uneven.

That’s why our Young Creatives Commission has been launched. We want to develop fresh ideas for how we can widen access to arts, culture and the creative industries for young people. The Commission is exploring what the arts can learn from sport’s grassroots structure, including early engagement and talent pathways, and how these lessons could open up greater and wider participation, particularly for those young people from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds.

Why this matters now

The Government’s new national youth strategy commits to halving the gap in meaningful activities between young people from richer and poorer families. Yet arts opportunities have been steadily declining over many years. For many young people, access is shaped by where they live and what they can afford, how culturally relevant activities feel, and whether local facilities even exist at all. These barriers can be enough to keep the door shut to participation, stifling potential and talent.

We know young people’s involvement in the arts can be transformational, building confidence, creativity, and community. As a talent pipeline, it can open doors to one of the UK’s fastest-growing economic sectors. If we want thriving creative industries that reflect the diversity of modern Britain, then young people from every background must be able to participate. Right now, that “ladder of opportunity” is something many young people never get to climb.

Changing this will take sustained effort and investment from policymakers, funders, educators and youth organisations to create creative, supported spaces in every community, where young people can get to easily and where they can learn new skills, explore creativity safely, and build trusted relationships.

Start with what young people love

The first step is simple: meet young people where their interests already are. Not just for school outcomes or future job goals, but for joy, discovery and expression. When young people take part in regular creative activity, they develop new skills, form identity, and connect to something bigger than themselves. Some will go even further, and with the right facilities and support, their talents can grow into careers.

As Commissioner and actor Daniel Mays says, “the Commission represents a wonderful opportunity to forensically address the issue of accessibility for young, working-class people within the creative industries.” Fellow commissioner, actor and director Angela Griffin hopes the Commission “is about bringing down barriers to the arts – particularly for young people from underrepresented backgrounds.”

We want to hear from you

As the Commission begins its work, we want to gather experiences, ideas and insights on how to:

• Improve access to arts and creative spaces in local communities
• Remove barriers to participation, inclusion and representation

We are calling for your evidence and experiences of what works, and what you want to see change to widen access to the arts and creative industries. These submissions will be invaluable to us as we develop our proposals for policymakers, funders and sector leaders, and put forward recommendations designed to secure a thriving, diverse creative future with and for young people. 

The call for evidence now open: Young Creatives Commission: Call for Evidence

It is a chance to share your stories and examples of the arts in tandem with youth work, and research and reports which will help us champion creative opportunity for all. Closing date 19 April 2026.