A talented bunch! Young creatives are set to shine a spotlight on Southampton’s thriving arts scene

This summer sees the arrival of What’s Next Southampton? – a festival of arts, music and fashion for young people and their families.

Months ago, organisers Connecting Culture put out a call for young creatives, ultimately assembling a diverse team of ‘Cultural Connectors’ from across the city and all walks of life.

Now their hand-picked line-up of artists is set to descend upon Southampton’s cultural quarter on Saturday 24 June with a host of activities for people to come and get involved.

Nicole, a 22-year-old student at the University of Southampton, will be leading her ‘Give it a Go’ music workshops, and has laid out a network of colourful paths on the floor which branch out from Guildhall Square to the locations of the various activities on the day.

She said: “What’s Next Southampton? is a starting point.

“It’s an invitation to all children and young people in the city to come along and say what they’d like to see next.

“I want to empower people to express themselves through music and show parents the positive effects of music on young children and increase appreciation of other cultures.”

The youngest of the bunch – graffiti artist Jason, 18, and sixth form student Dan, 17 – will be working with school children to design a collaborative mural representing what Southampton means to them.

Jason is also running a series of graffiti workshops to help youngsters learn the ropes of sticker street art.

Dan said: “I want young people to have a chance to express themselves, so they feel validated and seen.

“It’s about representing and celebrating the creative youths of Southampton.

“There’s a lot of bad stuff happening. Having colour in the city and having passion makes a difference to mental health.”

Next up is Damian, 24, a programmer at a Southampton startup who has invited young people aged from 12 to 25 to submit artworks under the theme ‘Shape of SOTON’. These will form a vinyl showcase in the University’s Sir James Matthews Building.

Abdourahman, a 19-year-old poet, is hosting creative writing workshops in a quiet and comfortable space, with an emphasis on mental health and wellbeing.

Finally, 26-year-old Chris is a manager at Southampton City Council’s Business and Intellectual Property Centre. He’s hoping to “showcase, celebrate and give a platform for Southampton’s fashion designers” in his vibrant display of vintage and streetwear fashion.

These Cultural Connectors will be joined on the day by plenty of familiar faces from the city’s cultural scene and a host of talented local artists.

The line-up includes ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, Fuzzy Logic, MAST Musical Youth Theatre, Theatre for Life CIC, Your Brain Explained, Art Asia, African Activities, the John Hansard Gallery, JHG Collective, Artswork, Focus Education and Development CiC, Universities of Sanctuary, Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton Music Hub, Turner Sims, Skate Southampton, and the Retail Solent initiative.

What’s Next Southampton? forms part of the University of Southampton’s Connecting Culture project, supported by a £75,000 grant from Arts Council England.

Activities will be taking place throughout the day on Saturday 24 June in the city’s cultural quarter.