As we look back on the year that was, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of 2022 and look forward to the exciting plans we have for 2023.
2022 – The Year That Was
In 2022, we continued to offer FREE creative activities for all 11-18 year-olds, with a total of 224 workshops held to date that have raised future aspirations and provided regular support for over 649 young people. We also held 50 workshops across yoga, press, and film clubs, and had 110 unique sign-ups from young people to our ongoing clubs and youth board.
The Young People of Lancaster and Morecambe Delivered Our First Ever Green Festival
In addition to our regular clubs, we also organized our first ever Green Festival! 99 young people participated and an overwhelming majority (98%) said they would continue to attend these workshops if they happened every 2 weeks, 97% felt the sessions made a difference in their lives and 94% said they made something they were proud of.
61 free workshops were held and delivered by 14 professional facilitators at 13 venues across Lancaster and Morecambe. Services of 25 local businesses and collaborative organizations were involved in the workshops, and the event day itself. The whole project was supported by 33 wonderful volunteers who dedicated 430 hours!
500 local people attended the festival which was held at Scotch Quarry, Lancaster, and the Lancaster Guardian reported Escape2Make’s youth-led Green Festival as bringing “hope for the future.”
We Grew the Team!
In 2022, we also appointed a new Chairman, Bill Kistler. The ex-Vice President of Disney, Bill was also MD of the International Council of Shopping Centers and is Founder and Managing Partner of urbanOvation. He has worked in leading development; advisory and non-profit organizations have given him a unique perspective and global network.
We strengthened our core team of staff, trustees, volunteers, and facilitators, and here is why they are SO needed…
2023 – The Year to Come!
As we look ahead to 2023, we are excited to announce that we will be submitting planning permission for a revolutionary building for young people that they have been co-designing with local and world-class architects since 2019!
We’ve also had a survey done and found that 83% of communities around the UK think the E2M model would work in their area. So this year we’ll be seriously thinking about how best to share our learning with other communities.
We’re also planning to double our offer of free clubs and free access to The Duke of Edinburgh Award and The Prince’s Trust “Achieve” Scheme.
We will be launching our Cabaret event, 10 x 5-week workshops that will create smiles as well as learning and will culminate in a celebratory event at the iconic Alhambra Theatre in Morecambe.
The celebration will be an invitation-only event, but there are 5 Golden Tickets up for grabs! The 5 highest bidders will win our Golden Tickets and a seat at our Cabaret.
Later in the year, we’ll be collaborating with local heritage organizations, using creativity to explore our local history. The young people will be able to engage with the past through professionally delivered workshops and will showcase their creations at a Heritage Market.
We’re passionate about providing equal life chances and opportunities for joy and connection. We’ve seen first-hand the impact that a kind and encouraging environment can make. That’s why we do what we do. And we need as much continued support as possible to sustain the delivery of non-gated, open to all, platforms for 11-18s to make things, make friends and make a difference.
2023 is the year we take this to another level, so please continue to follow us on this journey and support our efforts to provide opportunities for young people to reach their full potential. Thank you for your continued support!
11/11/24
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