Moving onwards and upwards!
“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference.” Nelson Mandela
ACE has had an exciting couple of months that we can’t wait to share with you. Our team has more than doubled, (you can meet them here!) we’ve started a new More Than Music session at The Station in the centre of Bristol, we’ve got a brand new website and so much more. All of this change is expanding the opportunities we offer, to help more young people reach their potential.
So, who are we and what do we do?
ACE is a unique organisation that empowers disadvantaged young people through projects & programmes that offer Arts Activities, Role-Model Guidance & Inspirational Experiences. We are based in the heart of St. Pauls at @Docklands youth centre along with some other awesome organisations and youth groups, including Full Circle. We began in 2013 when three entrepreneurs saw the devastating impact of community investment cuts and wanted to make a change. Bristol City Council’s 2015 Deprivation report showed that St. Pauls is within the top 3% of the most deprived communities in the UK. The research shows that more than half of children in the area live in income deprived households; with lack of education, skills and training being many key issues.
The Race Disparities Audit 2017 clearly says that a lack of education is “closely associated” with a lower incomes. The need to help young people to engage in education is heightened knowing that the 2016 Lammy Report showed the national proportion of BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) young prisoners has disproportionately risen from 25% to 41% in the last decade.
ACE believes in looking beyond the surface of what today’s youth face as there is a systematic cycle which they often fall into, through no fault of their own. This is a cycle of inequality, low aspirations and negativity, which will ultimately have damaging affects on future generations.
What are we doing about it?
We feel the common ground of art has been the platform to guide, educate and inspire young people to take positive paths in life.
We understand that overturning such a deep-rooted problem will take time, commitment and resources beyond our own, but we feel even the smallest positive action can grow into methods of significant change and inspiration.
We aim to see negativity overturned through art.
Our weekly open access sessions offer a creative space for young people to engage and develop through music, media and the arts. Now we’ve expanded to The Station (Friday evenings 6:30pm-9pm) we’re able to reach and help and spread the word to even more people.
Our long term plan
Over the next 10 years, we plan to focus our efforts on the St. Pauls community, where we believe our provisions will make significant impact. We aim to:
- Reach 540 young people
- Provide significant support to 270 young people
- Change the lives of 135 young people
- Much more!
We want to keep you updated with more regular posts on the website and on social media, so keep your eyes peeled to see more of what we’re doing!
Thank you so much for all the on-going support,
