Reconnect Presents (Festivals)

Kent County Council is seeking proposals from Kent-based creative organisations to work with Young People (age 12-25). We are looking for partnerships of young people (age 12-25) working in close collaboration with Kent Creative Partner(s) to plan, curate, commission, promote, and deliver festival activities between May and August 2022 that will celebrate and reconnect young people aged 0 to 25 across the county.

The activities must be an opportunity for young people to develop and lead their own creative ideas. Existing organisations will support the young people by helping them to grow their knowledge of the creative and technical skills of producing and staging events.

Eight commissions will be delivered within the existing Kent festivals infrastructure, as part of KCC's Reconnect programme, and each organisation may bid for one commission. The voice of young people must be at the very core of each commission for Reconnect Presents. With support from the creative partner, they will drive the development of each activity, drawing on their own insights about the experiences that young people have missed the most throughout the pandemic. Reconnect Presents will reflect the Articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly Article 31: Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

The eight activities will be overseen by a project manager and there will be mentors experienced in this kind of work which will support both the young people and host organisations to collaborate successfully to ensure learning outcomes are achieved.

Potential activity might include a 'Reconnect Presents' branded stage programmed by young people at an already established festival. Artform may be influenced by the host festival, but otherwise may include (but not be limited to) music, spoken word, comedy, dance, and physical theatre. Innovative use of digital technology is actively encouraged. Reconnect Presents will seek to achieve a wide geographic spread of activities to ensure that young people can easily access the offer.

Reconnect Presents will empower young people across Kent to realise their creative potential. It will engage and inspire, providing a range of opportunities for young people including as producers, artists, participants, promoters, and audiences. The young people leading each commission will have access to a panel of experienced mentors, which is being commissioned separately, to inspire, support and guide them through the process. The successful creative partner organisations will be able to demonstrate their ability to work with young people who will be supported by their mentors.