Escape2Make launches free summer workshops for 11 to 18-year olds

Lancaster and Morecambe-based youth-led charity Escape2Make is offering all 11- to 18-year-olds free creative workshops this summer.

The exciting mix of experiences includes, amongst others, woodwork DIY, land art, textiles, green filmmaking, creative writing, upcycled band, printmaking and graphic design. You can even learn how to build your own bike!

In total 15 courses of five-week workshops are ready to be snapped up by young people in the Lancaster and Morecambe area and are being delivered by specialist practitioners.

For four years now the charity has been striving to create highly inclusive, free opportunities for young people to make things, make friends and make a difference and this summer sees this go to another level with the launch of this exciting programme of activities.

The workshops will run over the summer, each being one a week for five weeks, and will work towards Lancaster's first ever Green Festival which will be held at Scotch Quarry. The festival itself will be an open-to-all, family-friendly gathering and will take place on Saturday 27th of August, the bank holiday weekend.

The charity hope that the workshops offer young people in the area a fun-filled Summer, the chance to find new interests, meet new people and add to their CV and personal statements. The festival itself will be a vibrant opportunity for us all to come together as a community and celebrate being creative, being environmentally conscious as well as making the most of our locality.

Green Festival has been funded by the Arts Council England and The Areti Charitable Trust, with two of the events, ceramics, and the botanical labyrinth, kindly sponsored by Barton Grange Garden Centre.

Jenny Natusch, founder and pro-bono CEO, explains: "We are on a mission to create safe, welcoming, truly all-inclusive spaces for 11-18s to come together and make new friends, try out some new creative skills and make a difference to the community and the environment.

"Children and young people from 25 different schools have been involved with E2M so far…as well as many who are not at school. Absolutely all 11-18s are welcome!

"This creative, capable, forgotten age group have been described as 'too old for the playground, too broke for the cafe and too young for the pub' and after two years of Covid, they deserve to be given meaningful opportunities where they can feel full of purpose by making a real difference and feel connected to and proud of where they live by giving back!”

Escape2Make are also looking to recruit volunteers for the workshops and festival, so anyone aged 17 years and older are encouraged to get in touch and be part of this inspirational summer event.

To find out more about the workshops, the festival and how you can get involved, visit www.escape2make.org and follow their social media for regular updates.