Catalyst is a transformative leadership programme for young people; aimed at developing creative leaders to act as positive role models in their local communities
what is catalyst?
Catalyst is a dynamic and exciting programme offering FREE training to young people of diverse backgrounds between 16 and 26 years of age. We equip young people with the skills and confidence to take on leadership roles, develop local social action initiatives and transform their own communities.
Led by professional trainers and facilitators, experienced in community engagement, Catalyst emphasises the importance of ethnic and religious diversity.
LEARN MORE
Catalyst takes place across four full days
Each day explores a specific theme, that intrinsically link and intersect throughout the four day programme.
We use a variety of Practical, creative and interactive processes including, group discussion, thought provoking team exercises, exploring current news on widely debated issues and developing presentations.
Catalyst alumni programme
Our Catalyst Alumni Programme supports young people’s access to funding, and other local opportunities, to put their newly acquired skills from the Catalyst course into practice. By extending the Catalyst programme we can ensure a consistent and supported bridge between Catalyst and young people’s community initiatives and social action projects.
Signing up to the Catalyst Alumni Programme is voluntary, and will be discussed at the outset as to whether your school or community organisation has capacity to continue to work with us beyond the initial 4-day course.
A group of students from Belle Vue Girls School in Bradford were concerned that their local environment wasn’t something that the local community could feel proud of. They were awarded £3,000 to commission Don’t Panic! Art Cru (Bradford-born artists Jenna Greenwood and Benjamin James Holden) to work alongside them and other people from the community to develop a mural to be painted on the side of their school’s public sports centre, on a lane that feeds four other schools and a local housing estate. The mural was unveiled by The Lord Mayor and the Creative Director of Bradford 25 at a Mela in June.
In Birmingham, an alumni student from the Catalyst programme used a £2,000 grant to start the Soul Sanctuary, a youth group for Muslim teenagers that provides space for them to connect and contribute to the community through various initiatives.
And in East London, sixth form students from Oaklands School were keen to promote good mental health and wellbeing. They were awarded £1,000 to enable them to start an intergenerational gardening project with a local residential care home.