about us

mission

"We believe all young people, especially those most isolated, vulnerable and at risk, should have the opportunity to learn, grow and have fun through artistic expression. OYAP Trust will be the county’s voice for youth arts, leading thinking and developments that offer creative opportunities to young people, especially those at risk. We will do this by involving young people in all areas of our work, supporting and working closely with artists and other providers and engaging with strategic players locally, regionally and nationally."

vision for 2009-2012

• We want to increase participation in the arts by reaching out to those who have not participated before; in particular to young homeless people, those in rural areas and young people ‘at risk’. We want to offer platforms and forums for young people to share their artistic work with each other and the public.

• We will encourage young people to become leaders by developing and delivering a new stream of opportunities and pilots for young people, arts awards, mentoring schemes, skill building and support for emerging young leaders.

• We will promote artistic excellence by bringing inspiration direct from artists to young people; by supporting the development of specific artistic skills (such as youth circus and dance); by offering accredited training and mentoring programmes which transfer these skills to young people.

• We wish to develop partnerships with different sectors which increase effectiveness and value for money, in particular heritage organisations and museums, homelessness organisations, youth services.

• We will continue and develop our strategic remit to support successful partnership building, to be able to advocate for youth arts and create coherent strategies across different sectors for delivery.

• We will foster links with trusts and foundations to create a coherent fundraising strategy which maximises and differentiates our income, to deliver these aims.