Every penny donated goes towards our life-changing programmes.
We make this happen through programmes that connect, develop, and empower young people to live out their creative ambitions.
Activist Neil Griffiths and comedian Josie Long first laid the foundations for Arts Emergency in 2011.
Recognising the barriers young people from underrepresented backgrounds face when trying to access the creative and cultural industries, they wanted to start a movement where those who have access can share resources and open doors for those behind them. Arts Emergency piloted its first mentoring programme in Hackney in 2013 and has since supported over 2000 young people across the UK.
“We believe passionately that those with the most potential are often the least able to pay for education, the least able to pull favours or access helpful networks, to work for free, or find shortcuts into paid creative and cultural work.”
Josie Long, Co-Founder
mentoring relationships made in 2024
mentoring sessions in 2024
of mentees gained opportunities they wouldn’t have had without Arts Emergency
We caught up with the fabulous Olga Koch who has generously donated nearly £10,000 to Arts Emergency by fundraising during her hit Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Soho Theatre show - Olga Koch Comes from Money - in summer 2024, and from BBC's Mastermind.
Read all about what we've achieved in 2024 and what we're hoping to develop in 2025.
For now, we are continuing to work and explore how we might raise the funds to get a quality West Yorkshire offer off the ground - sustainably and for the long-term.