Culture
‘The Zone’ shows need for youth arts and creative spaces
Zest Theatre, which has been a dynamic force in the arts sector for 17 years, created The Zone based on feedback from the ideas of young people.
The free-to-attend, pop-up youth club is housed in a state-of-the-art, Air Clad trailer with outdoor decking and vibrant, inflatable structures. This makes it easy to pack up and relocate to exactly where it is needed so it can be quickly relocated to often overlooked areas and communities.
“It’s so perfectly curated that [the youngsters] join in organically – trying things they’ve never tried before. Our team are passionate, the local visiting artists are on fire, and the support from local businesses has been incredible. This really is a dream of a project!” – Zest Artistic Director, Toby Ealden
Its temporary nature also means that it’s an idea that, subject to funding, that can easily be adopted and installed within multiple areas of the UK at any one time, filling the very real need for spaces where young people can come together and at far less expense than a traditional youth club.
Taking up residence in Lincoln for the school summer holidays and staffed by trained youth workers, The Zone is already proving a hit with the young people using it with almost 500 attending in the project’s first week.
“Any of our expectations over attendance have been blown out of the water with the launch of The Zone. We’re building a core group of passionate and invested young people who love this place and already treat it like home, whilst also engaging new people every day!
“Nearly all the young people we’ve met have been brand new to Zest – bringing the benefit of our work to even more young people who we would never have met through traditional venues. Not only are they enjoying a place to chill with their friends, but they are also participating in accessible arts and culture as part of The Zone experience. ” – Zest Artistic Director, Toby Ealden
The Zone Offers everything from laidback hangouts and cosy book corners to high-energy workshops with professional artists and adrenaline-pumping parties. So far visitors have been able to take part in free DJ and Street Dance Classes, Parkour sessions and art projects including an ever-changing community mural on the Zone Trailer itself.
Speaking about The Zone, 17-year-old Rustam Alim said “The Zone allows young people who struggle to socialise and engage to be given the opportunity to break their fears and make friends within the community in Lincoln. Zest have really stood by their word – they have incorporated all the voices of the young people to create this hangout place and then incorporated us young people too! The Zone is special because we haven’t had events or places like this in Lincoln before. The place is a whole vibe and I think all the young people are really enjoying it.”
As a result of there being a chronic lack of space for young people in our cities, young people speaking to Zest shared their feeling that there wasn’t anywhere for them outside of home and school to exist, to feel welcome and to thrive leading Zest to think of a creative response that could benefit their own community as well as others on a national scale.
Zest Artistic Director, Toby Ealden:
“The early success of The Zone shows how young people are crying out for support and safe places to exist. They are desperate for opportunities to be supported, lead, and be seen and heard. With the nation looking for creative, cost effective solutions to support, unify and enhance the wellbeing of our young people, projects like The Zone offer a very real solution to a very big problem.”
