I joined Young Changemakers in December and did not know what to expect. I was nervous but excited to see what awaited me through the Queen’s doors. The first meeting was nerve-wracking as I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone and meeting new people. I sat down and was warmly introduced to my fellow Young Changemakers. As we began talking about ourselves and why we wanted to join the project, I started to feel more at ease and loosen up. After half an hour or so it’d felt like I’d known these people for ages. We continued to talk and share our opinions of why the youth of today are not going to the theatre and then what are we going to do about it. With the help from our mentors, we came to the decision to create an UpClose event for 18-25 year olds. This event would consist of a workshop, pizza and show, all for £8. After a few more meetings we agreed to hold a Q&A session with the director of the show and a stage combat workshop. Leading up to the event, we began marketing it on social media to get the word out. On the day of the event 7 people attended and it went very well from start to finish. The young people were engaged and committed and I felt a sense of achievement. The Young Changemakers has made me more aware that things need to be done to engage young people into coming to the theatre. It is so nice to work and collaborate with likeminded people that want to make a change for the future. Young Changemakers has given me a sense of belonging after losing my creative input during university.

Ashleeka