Early Career Team
freelance artists
with barriers to employment

ExploreTheArch’s mentee scheme for early career artists with barriers to employment in St Leonards-on-Sea/Hastings offers supported roles across its output for freelancers entering the creative industries.

Addressing a lack of options in the area that propels the majority of young adults to leave to study and work elsewhere, the diverse team have the opportunity to become leaders. Through ExploreThe Arch’s community projects they become positive role models for younger people in their community.

Student populations in the area have become more diverse since the team were at primary school where they sometimes experienced being the only child of colour in their year group. However authority teams have not diversified to the same extent. The early career team are authority figures in which children can find themselves reflected.

Members of the early career team are recruited to the director team.

The scheme is long term, recognising that the mentees who come to the programme have often experienced a lack of support elsewhere, either falling between agencies or finding agencies have not supported them appropriately. Lived experience of health challenges, neurodiverse conditions and intersectional experience is valued as an opportunity to create an insightful team who can design inspiring and relevant community arts project.

To qualify, mentees must have selected a freelance career in the cultural sector as the best fit to career aspirations and personal challenges.


History of the Scheme

The scheme was set up in pilot form in 2019 with SECCADS funding, two years after ExploreTheArch originated the annual A Town Explores A Book festival. Work offered was initially limited to festival output. The early career team are now fully integrated in all ExploreTheArch projects.


What the Scheme offers the Industry

In supporting early career artists who would otherwise struggle to forge a career in the cultural sector, ExploreTheArch is generating a future workforce of diverse cultural and heritage sector practitioners, currently under-represented. Thus the scheme supports the long term health of the UK’s heritage and arts industry. The outlook is international, encouraging the early career cohort to engage with the world and navigate the UK’s emerging identity post-Brexit.

We welcome donations to the scheme.