Young people's creativity is everywhere. Opportunities to develop it are not.

The Young Creatives Commission – led by the Centre for Young Lives in partnership with Roundhouse and bringing together partners from across the sector- is today publishing its interim report, exploring the state of arts opportunities for young people in England and the barriers that prevent too many from developing their creative talents.

Drawing on more than 100 evidence submissions, expert testimony, research, and direct engagement with young people, the report warns that while creativity is thriving across England, access to high-quality arts opportunities remains deeply unequal.

For too many young people, the chance to develop creative talent depends on where they live, the school they attend, their family circumstances, or whether local opportunities happen to exist.

Giving the arts a sporting chance

The report argues that every young person should have the same opportunity to develop their creative talents as they do their sporting talents. The pathways to playing sport are clear- from school and grassroots participation upwards. In the arts, those pathways are too often difficult to find, fragmented, or absent altogether.

No one would accept a system where sport for young people disappeared when short-term funding ran out. Yet that is the reality for many children and young people's arts opportunities.

The Government’s National Youth Strategy calls for increased levels of participation by young people through enrichment in schools and out-of-school activities. The Young Creatives Commission’s interim report calls for that same level of ambition for arts and creativity: sustained investment, strong local provision, visible opportunities, and clear routes for young people to develop their talents.

[.download]Download the report[.download]

The Young Creatives Commission is a national commission led by the Centre for Young Lives in partnership with the Roundhouse. It is examining how young people in England can gain fairer access to high-quality arts opportunities and how creativity can be better supported through education, youth services, communities and the arts sector. Its final report will be published in early 2027.