TIMETABLED SESSIONS AT @herewoodeacademy
For over 3 years, Soft Touch Arts have been facilitating small group session at Herewoode Academy (previously known as New College Leicester) through Period 1 & 2 every Wednesday & Thursday morning.
THE WAY IT WORKS:
A total of 16 participants will be referred from Years 7 and 8 every 6 weeks and they will be split between art sessions and music sessions. A maximum of six participants will be referred for Year 9 music sessions.
- Participants can be referred by parents, friends/family members and most commonly, teachers
- The six weeks includes a visit to @team_hub_cic and a trip to @softtoucharts in town.
- Participants are encouraged to engage in our after-school and holiday activities, when their 6-week programmes ends
- The goal: to use music and art as a tool to connect young people and provide a space for students to communicate openly with an external support system
Our industry professionals run sessions every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday❕
Mondays: New Parks in the Making, 3-4:15pm, aged 11-16
Heritage and art sessions, digging into the hidden secrets of New Parks. These sessions will lead up to an art installation inspired by your findings🕵🏼♂️
Tuesdays: Street art sessions, 5-7pm, aged 16-25
Expect street art accompanied by food and good vibes🌞
Wednesdays: Project Enable, 3-4:30pm, aged 11-16
Our busiest session! Providing a space to connect young people through art and music, we take over the Team Hub building and fill it with positive energy and opportunities to overcome difficult days. This isn’t one to miss!!
Fridays: Dance & Fitness, 3-4:30pm, aged 11-16
An environment to move your body without judgement! We create a super welcoming space for a fitness workout, followed by an optional dance class (if you would prefer not to dance, leave at 4pm!).
Feeling slightly overwhelmed by what to do during a week (at least!) of no structure?
The holidays are our time to shine! We use the fuller days to introduce participants to new opportunities and organisations around Leicester/shire and beyond. Once participants have engaged in one of our after-school sessions (see ‘Evenings’ post), they will be invited to attend holiday activities!
All of our activities are free of charge and open to 11-16 year-olds from New Parks. Please do not hesitate to DM or email [email protected] to check-in if you’re uncertain!
If you are an organisation with a collaboration opportunity, we’d also love to hear from you!!
RADICAL HOPE IS BACK THIS JUNE 🌍🌸 Our annual Eco Fest is coming soon, and we don’t want you to miss out!
Last year was incredible: a day filled with live music, creative workshops, environmental talks, food, and so much more!
📅 Add Sat 27th June to your calendars and share with a friend.
📍 Make sure you’re local on the day – we’ll be at Museum Square on New Walk (Leicester)
More details to follow! 🔥
WE’RE HIRING! 📢
We are looking for a Project Enable Intern to join our team! This is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on experience supporting young people in arts & music, while building skills in admin, social media, and project evaluation.
→ 20 hours per week
→ Based at Soft Touch Arts, 50 New Walk, Leicester and partner organisations in New Parks.
→ £13.45 per hour
If you’re passionate about creativity and community impact, we want to hear from you!
🔗 Tap the link in our bio to apply & get more info.
Deadline: 9 AM, Monday 18th May.
WE DID IT 🥳💥 (and we had a blast doing it too)
A MASSIVE WELL DONE to everyone who took part, you all worked so hard & your performances were incredible! You should be proud of yourselves.
A huge thank you to everyone who showed their support!
Thanks for having us @riverconsultants@sej.5555@lindzivibe 🫂
🚨 NEW PROJECT ALERT 🚨
We still have a few spaces for our 12-week creative project, Next Steps, starting this Thursday at Soft Touch Arts!
Work with professional artists, musicians and filmmakers to create a multimedia stage shown & exhibition for the Highcross Festival this Easter 🔥
Songwriting, spoke word, performances, visuals — all welcome.
🚕 Paid taxis provided
⏰ 3:30—5:30PM
📍 Soft Touch Arts, 50 New Walk, LE1 6FT
Sign up by emailing / calling Chloë Plumb (Project Co-Ordinator)
📧 [email protected]
📞 0116 255 2592
Because… What’s a bonfire night without hot chocolate? 🔥
Last week’s session was a chill one: firework-inspired art, music, and some after-school downtime 🙌
Catch you again soon!
Here's what @goldfinchheritage had to say about our latest heritage project: New Parks in The Making! ✨
To learn more about this project, visit our website to take a journey through the process, artwork, and community archive.
📎 Link in bio
Every stitch tells a story — and on Friday, those stories came to life 🧵💫
Our New Parks in the Making exhibition launch was a huge success!
Keep an eye out for upcoming posts as we share highlights, reflections, and behind-the-scenes moments from the project.
#leicesterart #communityarts #youtharts #artexhibitions #madeinleicester #textileartists #communityproject #historicengland #newparksleicester #leicesterevents
A celebration stitched together by our community. 🧵✨
The New Parks in the Making exhibition launch was a night full of colour, connection and creativity — showcasing the incredible work of young people and local residents who helped bring this tapestry to life. 💛
And, a special thank you to @historicengland for funding this project, @ritualsofjoy_ for creating the tapestry, and our social historian @goldfinchheritage 🙌
Stay tuned as we share more highlights and reflections from the project in the coming weeks! 🌿
#NewParksInTheMaking #SoftTouchArts #CommunityArts #LeicesterArts #YouthCreativity #TextileArt #MadeInLeicester #ArtExhibition #LocalStories #StrongerStarts #CreativeCommunity #ArtsInAction
