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  • GENFest Youth Takeover Festival

    • GENFest Youth Takeover Festival

     

    For the last 4 years we have had the absolute pleasure of hosting GENFest, Art31’s annual Youth Takeover Festival.  However, in 2025 we have made the decision to not host GENFest.

    GENFest was always designed to be a festival made for young people, by young people, where local 13–25-year-olds got to make all the key decisions about the festival. After 4 years, GENFest had become such a well-honed machine that there was very little left to decide or influence. We’ve therefore decided to look for new ways to work with local young people with more impact and fresh creativity.  

    This hasn’t been an easy decision and know there may be some disappointment. However, we are hoping to have more opportunities to get involved with throughout the year whilst we shift and shape our new young people’s offer, making sure it reflects the genuine needs, wants and ideas of our local young people.  

    If you are a group, school or young person who has previously (or was hoping to) take part in GENFest 2025, please get in touch to say hello! We want to make sure we stay connected and hope to get you involved with our programme this year.  We’d love to add you to our Art31 mailing list, so you can keep in the loop with all the opportunities and updates for this year, if you would like to be added to this, send us an email to creativeengagement@kent.ac.uk  

    If you are a young person, school or group of young people and would like to help get involved with shaping Art31 Generate and our young people’s creative offer, we’d love to hear from you.  

    Our email is creativeengagement@kent.ac.uk  

     

     

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    What is GENFest? 

    GENFest is a free festival curated by and for 13-25 year olds, celebrating young people’s creativity and giving a platform to young creative voices in Kent.

    The programme showcases up-and-coming local creatives and usually features a mix of live theatre, dance, music and stand-up comedy, plus short film screenings and an art exhibition.

    There is also a whole host of free artist-led workshops as well as networking sessions where young creatives and professionals can connect.

    There are many ways that you could get involved such as;

    • Showcasing your own performance at Gulbenkian Theatre
    • Performing on the Music Stage
    • Making and showcasing your film in our Cinema
    • Submitting Art to our Art Exhibit
    • Taking part in Artist Lead workshops, eg. Graffiti, Songwriting, Linocutting!

     

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    ART31 Generate
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    For more information please email creativeengagement@kent.ac.uk

    You can stay informed by signing up to our ART31 Mailing list: to do this log into your Gulbenkian Website Profile, go to ‘Interests’ and tick ‘yes’ for receiving emails for ‘Creative opportunities for young people from ART31 Kent’.

    Funded by Arts Council England and Kent County Council.

     

    'There was something always on! Very good festival vibes' GENFest Participant
    'A creative space where young people can take part in fun, open workshops, meet people and enjoy themselves every step of the way.' GENFest Participant
    'Please keep on doing this, it will encourage local artists to find their voices' GENFest Participant

    Also from the Gulbenkian

    GENFest Young people posing in a cardboard Instagram frame

    ART31 Generate
    Two actors laughing.

    National Theatre Connections – Gulbenkian Young Company

    NT Connections is the National Theatre’s nationwide youth theatre festival. Each year it offers a unique opportunity for youth theatres and school theatre groups to stage new plays written for young people by some of theatre’s most exciting playwrights, and to perform in leading theatres across the UK.

    Youth Theatre

    Fantastic and fun sessions for ages 13-18 years, encouraging creativity and theatre-making skills.

    ART31

    ART31 takes its name from Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, which states that ‘Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities’.

    ART31 is a vision created with, by, and for young people in Kent, championing the belief that all children and young people have an entitlement to access high quality arts and culture, to empower them to achieve their creative potential, and to genuinely engage young people as equal partners in any decision making that affects them.

    The ART31 Youth Board is made up of young people from across Kent aged 13-25 who steer its governance, and influence policy and practice across the county and beyond, challenging the creative sector to examine existing ways of working and integrate young people into the core of their practice.

    Our projects with young people

    GENFest Young people posing in a cardboard Instagram frame

    ART31 Generate

    Youth Theatre

    Fantastic and fun sessions for ages 13-18 years, encouraging creativity and theatre-making skills.

    Live Streaming film equipment.

    SCREEN31

    Screen31 is a group for young people aged 15-25 interested in developing their film-making skills.
    TECH31

    TECH31

    TECH31 provides free practical training in technical theatre for ages 13 - 25
    Two actors laughing.

    National Theatre Connections – Gulbenkian Young Company

    NT Connections is the National Theatre’s nationwide youth theatre festival. Each year it offers a unique opportunity for youth theatres and school theatre groups to stage new plays written for young people by some of theatre’s most exciting playwrights, and to perform in leading theatres across the UK.
    Gulbenkian Uncovered image 03

    Gulbenkian Uncovered

    Are you enthusiastic, committed and creative? Gulbenkian Uncovered gives University of Kent students the chance to programme films and run events.

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    Square Pegs Arts

    Square Pegs Arts are an award winning charity who provide drama groups, music projects and other accessible Arts opportunities for children and young adults who have learning disabilities and autism, and produce original, inspiring, challenging Theatre. Difference is celebrated and everyone is supported to shine in their own way.
    A selection of images arranged on a wall

    KRAN Fam

    KRAN Fam is a drama group in partnership with Kent Refugee Action Network for young refugees and asylum-seekers.

    Accessible Film Club

    Relaxed Screenings

    Monthly film screenings that are open to all, especially those with autism and learning disabilities.

    Young People - Screen31 ARTY31

    ARTY31

    Gulbenkian’s ARTY31 group is for young people aged 8-12 with a wide variety of arts interests.

    Film tickets

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