Encouraging youngsters to get creative in their community

The 1UP event takes place from 2pm to 5pm on Thursday, August 17, at The Basement, 24 Kensington Street, and will see a host of local organisations come together to let young people show their creative skills and find new passions.

Young people will get the chance explore Brighton and Hove in a virtual reality Minecraft version of the city, created by BlockBuilders using real geospatial data. The map was created to engage young people in planning, and will allow them to have their say on the development of the city.

Music organisation AudioActive will be on hand to talk about their work in technology and contemporary urban culture, alongside Rhythmix, a music and social welfare charity that provides opportunities for music making to people in challenging circumstances.

Brighton and Hove Impetus, a befriending charity connecting people to reduce isolation will talk to young people about volunteering opportunities.

Exploring Senses, a non-profit arts organisation which runs fun creative activities, workshops and events using visual communication, participatory arts, craft, design, material knowledge, science, technology and social and digital media will also be at the event.

Other organisations at the event include: Brighton Peace & Environment Centre, an organisation seeking to inspire, educate and connect people to understand how their own lives link with those of others; Health Bar, a pop-up video game night with a twist; Little Green Pig, a writing and mentoring charity for young people in Sussex; The Marlborough Theatre, Brighton and Hove’s leading theatre working with LGBTQ+ practitioners; Pop Up Pottery, Brighton’s portable pottery class; Right There, an innovative health and wellbeing project offering free resilience building activities to people aged 18 to 25; The Starr Trust, supporting young people aged 10 to 18 to fulfil their potential through sports, arts and education; StencilMoose, a screen print studio in the heart of Brighton that runs screen printing workshops; and Sussex Wildlife Trust, a conservation charity for everyone who cares about nature in Sussex.

1UP has been brought to Brighton and Hove by Our Future City, The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and Digitalme. It is part of a joint initiative between the three organisations to explore how to help connect young people with the wide range of informal learning opportunities already offered in Brighton and Hove, with a focus on creative activities within the city.

Peter Chivers, director of Our Future City, said: "Whether you’re into music, gaming, making things, writing, the environment or art, there is plenty to discover at 1UP, and within Brighton and Hove. As a city we have an extraordinary range of opportunities for young people that can improve their life chances through culture and creativity."

Anthony Painter, who leads the Action and Research Centre for The RSA, said: "We’ve seen the tremendous success of initiatives like the Cities of Learning movement in the USA, which capture the informal learning opportunities already offered by a city and communicate it in a way that potential employers can understand.

‘"The RSA is interested in working with Our Future City and other local organisations to explore whether similar ideas could benefit young people in Brighton & Hove."

To get hold of the last free tickets to 1UP please visit 1up-brighton.eventbrite.co.uk