Keighley Youth Service Project

Our Aims

The aim of the project was to provide a creative opportunity and outlet for young people in Keighley, to give them a sense of ownership of their local space, raise their aspirations and foster a sense of pride in their local community.

What We Did

Following discussions with the Keighley Together Steering Group, we appointed Leeds-based poet Saju Ahmed to deliver four sessions at the Keighley Youth Service’s Bangladeshi Community Association. Twenty boys attended the sessions, which focussed on trust building and discussion initially, before moving on to collaboratively developing a spoken word piece titled ‘This is Home’.

The participants then worked with artist Tom Warrington to develop a piece of street art inspired by the themes of their spoken word piece and their conversations. The final artwork featured local businesses, landmarks and characters from their area.

A mural featuring the street art and ‘This is Home’ was unveiled by the participants at a celebration event at Holycroft Primary School in early 2023. The celebration was attended by the workshop leaders, poet Saju Ahmed and street artist Tom Warrington, alongside project partners and wider Keighley Central Ward stakeholders. Former MP for Keighley John Grogan attended and presented the boys with their own framed copy of the artwork. It was an evening of celebration, featuring a spoken word performance by Saju, a DJ set, plenty of food and a football game.

Impact & Feedback

• Young people felt proud of and included in their local community

Participants said:

‘It made me feel proud about where I live’

‘It made me think about what’s special about where I live’

• Improved communication skills and increased confidence across the group of young people

‘The young people have loved it as it’s something different and a new way to express themselves.’ – Aiysha Bi, Youth Worker.

Participants said:

‘It helped my communication skills’

‘It made me feel very proud and confident’ 

‘It gave me confidence and built my self-esteem’

• Gave young people an opportunity to participate in creative activities they might not otherwise have the chance to

Participants said:

‘I learned new skills like how to spray paint and be creative’

‘It was good to do something different and new’

‘We should do more things like this’