Our Future City is a collective of Brighton and Hove organisations, spanning the creative industries, local businesses, youth groups, schools, arts and heritage, health and social services. We work as one to develop the creative potential, skills and voice of our children and young adults.   

We have a clear ambition to prove to the world that collective action to nurture the creativity of our city’s children works – and has long-term, positive and measurable effects. Children and young people are our beginning, not our end. We work backwards from their needs then match them with the most appropriate local opportunities.   

Through the development of a City of Learning (CofL) in Brighton & Hove we aim to enhance and increase progression pathways and routes to employment for all young people but especially for the most disadvantaged. We envisage a sustained shift in the recognition of informal learning and creativity as an essential literacy; and empowering more young people to develop their creativity through relevant experiences that would ultimately help them to gain skills for life and work.   

CofL will aim to support wider city outcomes, with notable benefits for children and young people’s wellbeing and social mobility. In our dream scenario, a higher proportion of children and young people will gain recognition for their informal learning and the CofL approach will become embedded and integrated into the daily practice of stakeholders across the city.  

We plan to develop a strongly connected and cohesive learning ecosystem supported by employers, formal and informal learning providers – co-creating and communicating about flexible learning opportunities. This will impact not only on young people’s wellbeing but also increase their agency by recognising their skills and opening up routes to use their creativity to enter the world of work, to foster entrepreneurialism and to become the future creators for the city.  

Adhering to our principal of co-design ‘for, by and with’ young people we aim to embed ownership and buy-in to the CofL from the young people with whom we most want to engage. A youth-led process will enable young people to appreciate and personalise their learning journey and to help build a fulfilling future  

The CofL pilot will provide a valuable focal point for the creative industries and cultural sector, offering a tangible way to join-up the rich variety of opportunities already offered to young people within a more coherent, progressive structure. This will provide enhanced support for young people as they navigate more diverse progression routes and help to secure a talent pipeline from informal learning experiences to career development opportunities and future employment.  

There is a strong commitment in the city to support young people to develop their creativity and through CofL we are determined to support the development of young people’s creativity, offering flexible learning journeys that could include both formal and informal learning. CofL presents an excellent opportunity for sector to continue to advocate for the value of creativity while also providing a mechanism for young people to access and shape flexible progression pathways.