This Is Us

Between Jan 2023 and Jan 2025 we were lucky to be funded by The Arts Council England to run This is Us, an ambitious music and spoken word programme that taught and mentored young people [between 11 and 18 years old] to create, perform, produce, broadcast, record and promote their work.

The project focussed on how we can use creativity to explore and express what it means to be ‘us’, living in our coastal towns – Paignton, Brixham, Torquay and Dawlish – allowing youth voices to be heard, improving agency and increasing connection.

Over the two years of this project we: ran 6 groups, 65 workshops and 5 events working with 25 different creative workshop practitioners and visiting artists; engaged 84 young people with making and doing, creating 252 minutes of original music, 6 original jingles, and 4 original films; and supported 11 young people to perform live on stage with ‘The Scribes’ in front of a total of 607 audience members.

Listen to the live show below!

PHAB TV

PHAB TV was created as part of the This Is Us project. We commissioned the wonderful Doorstep Arts to work alongside us and support PHAB’s amazing young people, develop their acting skills and bring their awesome ideas about life as a young person in Torbay to life.

To celebrate the great success of the project, we held a red carpet event-the ‘World Premier’ of PHAB TV at Sound Communities. It was a fantastic excuse to put on our glad rags, order in a buffet, watch the first screening and dance the night away at the after show party.

After the final scene, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Watch PHAB TV below!

The Station

Our sessions at The Station Youth Club in Newton Abbot attracted regular participation from 12 YP who collaborated and created a live performance for a community of 40+ at the Youth Club. Our team helped YP with DJ-ing, rapping and instrument tuition.

When visiting artist DJ Re.Ni joined us from London, she made a huge impact on the young people at The Station. Before her visit, the DJ decks were dominated by boys- but her presence inspired the girls to step up and take their space.

Music also became a powerful outlet for self-expression. One young person used the opportunity to write deeply personal lyrics about family life, feeling safe enough to share their vulnerabilities through their work.

The sense of community within the club grew stronger too. The young people were so invested in the space that they took responsibility for maintaining it- supporting each other and encouraging positive behaviour.

Paignton Academy

We delivered two blocks of sessions at Paignton Academy, working with 16 of the most vulnerable Year 7 and 8 students. Many of these young people are neurodivergent and typically require 1:1 support in mainstream lessons.

Through engaging taster sessions, each group found their own creative path. Group 1 chose to explore what it means to be a young person in Torbay, bringing their stories to life through animation and digital music production. Group 2 discovered a passion for radio, immersing themselves in the world of broadcasting.

These sessions provided a safe, supportive space for self-expression, helping young people develop confidence and new creative skills.

The Foyer

Torbay Foyer provides supported accommodation for YP aged between 16 – 25 who are experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness.

We ran some This is Us taster sessions which provided a safe space to meet some of the most marginalised YP in our community, making a mini-podcast with 2 YP talking about the lack of spaces in Torbay to hang out when it’s raining.

Sonar Live Sessions

A celebration of the This Is Us project and launch of Sonar Radio (new branch of Ocean Youth for ages 16+). Participants of This Is Us got to socialise with other young people and listen to live music by local artists and performers of a similar age. Some of the recordings from This Is Us projects were played out.

The Scribes headlined the event, they are a band from Bristol who came and worked with This Is Us at Chances. Sound Communities YP and YP who have performed at previous Sound Communities events also performed.