Learning Programme Ardagh Young Creatives

Ardagh Young Creatives 2023

A vibrant programme to create pathways into design for young people to experiment and imagine a better future together.

Creating pathways into design

The Design Museum recognises that the design world isn’t as visibly diverse as it should be and wants to make a positive change.

Each year, the Ardagh Young Creatives programme welcomes a group of young people aged 14–16 based in London from underrepresented groups to explore all aspects of design and how it can be used to help solve issues.

How does it work?

A group of up to fifteen young people work together with the museum teams and guest designers on multiple workshops, mentorship sessions and hands-on activities to learn about the design process and work on developing a collective project for the duration of the programme.

Based on design thinking principles and methods, participants invest in the development of their ideas whilst learning about the value of design.

Working with established and emerging designers, the group takes part in co-creation and collaborative workshops. At the end of the programme, the young people work on a live build showcased at the museum where their final project is celebrated and displayed to the public.

In summary, the programme gives young people the opportunity to:

· Understand pathways into creative careers

· Develop digital & hands-on skills

· Work to a brief

· Co-create a group project with industry professionals

· Meet other young people

· Add to their CV and portfolio

· Learn employability skills and receive guidance from professional mentors

2023 Facilitators

Harrison Marshall (CAUKIN Studio)

Marshall is a co-founder of CAUKIN Studio specialising in community-based architecture projects. The studio creates impact through design and architecture using their projects as a vehicle to educate and up skill local communities and international participants in design and construction. Their organisation was founded on the premise that everybody should have access to better designed and built spaces. The practice has worked on more than 50 design and construction projects worldwide, spending a combined total of more than 190,000 hours educating on site across 5 continents. Harrison has converted a skip into a tiny house in London where he currently lives as a statement in response to the rising cost of living and housing crisis.

Heba Tabidi & Rayan Elnayal (Space Black)

Space Black is a multidisciplinary creative studio founded by Black designers exploring alternative spatial futures for marginalised communities, seeking to embed design which is diverse across the design industry. Tabidi is a Civil Engineer, DJ and Creative Director who explores the intersection between technicality and creativity and how functional and efficient designs can bring joy and nurture communities, particularly within the spatial design and the built environment. Elnayal is an Architectural Designer, Artist and Educator whose work is influenced by magic realist and futuristic narratives from Sudan, the SWANA region and its diaspora. Since graduating from the University of Greenwich, Elnayal's work has been exhibited globally.

2023 Display

Visit the display, open until 17 September

In April 2023, the Ardagh Young Creatives programme at the Design Museum began its third year. With Space Black (Heba Tabidi and Rayan Elnayal) as lead designers, the young people gathered to explore what design is and can be through workshops, site visits, mentoring sessions, conversations and activities as the foundations from which to understand the ever changing and rich world of creativity.

This year's theme is Home. Understanding home as a place, a space, a feeling, emotion and political statement were all integral to the young people and a sentiment they were keen to share with you, the public.

Each painted piece represents a 'home away from home' for these young people – from Algerian and Ukranian traditional patterns to images of flowers which inspire calm and an appreciation for natural beauty. Repeating patterns invite a sense of comfort and nostalgia whilst the typeface and font invite activation and a forward thinking youth.

From the young people:

"We are a vibrant and eclectic group of young people who have come from all over London to work together to represent what home means to us. This piece represents how we view home, and how home is not just a place but is also a feeling that defers from person to person."

"Home should be a place where you feel safe and comfortable. Throughout this project, comfort has been a recurring theme and we have created a piece to try and portray it. We hope that this piece can be a home away from home at the Design Museum."

Is there one true way to represent home? What is your home away from home? How can you build a home away from home?

Each individually painted piece is each young person’s own personal take on what home means to them, encapsulating feelings of comfort, familiarity and stability. Through their different cultures and experiences they created a piece that is truly authentic to them.

The Ardagh Young Creatives aims to lower or lessen barriers to access into the creative worlds, inspire the power and value of design and create tangible resources for the future for all young people.

Thank you to the young people who took part in this project: Amaan, Claire, Giselle, Ivan, Isata, Loran, Lynna, Maiya, Mira, Paula, Raizel, Ruben, Sienna, as well as this year's lead designers Space Black, and the many designers, facilitators, mentors, partners and teams who continue to support this programme.

The Design Museum Access

Download this PDF document that indicates the museum's spaces and instructs wayfinding.

Download building information

Background image by Justine Trickett.