Discover Your Future is a collaboration between Career Connect and the Lowry Theatre Salford to reach young people who were not accessing education or training and needed support.
Discover Your Future (DYF) is a collaboration between Career Connect and the Lowry Theatre Salford. The Lowry shared our Salford team’s aims and objectives to reach young people who were not accessing education or training and needed support.
DYF takes place over two weeks at each half term and aims to engage young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
This year, Career Connect engaged young people to participate who found it difficult to be in social settings or find it hard to travel independently due to anxiety, or were socially isolated. Some young people wanted to make friends, gain work experience and build on their confidence; foundations that support moving into employment, training or further education.
The overall aim was to offer a fun and sociable experience which enabled young people to meet each other, make friendships, and gain peer support.
Young people had the opportunity to talk to staff, discover what the Lowry does, and the various careers available in the arts sector, including venue management, marketing, sound and lighting, stage management, health and safety, box office, corporate hospitality and more.
Alongside this, the young people enjoyed a range of fun employability activities — such as ‘making a mocktail’ class —while the Big Life Group supported with the provision of wellbeing activities (‘fight or flight’).
Fraser Thomas, Youth Employability and Skills Manager for The Lowry, delivered confidence-building exercises on personality types, posture and assertiveness.
On the last day, the Career Connect team and the Lowry held a careers event where local providers gave ten-minute talks on different opportunities that were available.
Several attendees were referred to the summer programmes and other local provision, and one young person was offered a placement, and then a job in hospitality, at the Lowry.
Young people’s feedback:
“It was great seeing the various job roles, especially the art galleries and stage work.”
“I really liked the drawing and interaction, and when people talked to us about colleges and apprenticeships. I’m so glad I came. It was calmer and more easy-going than I expected. Everyone was really welcoming.”
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