Circle Of is a new organisation founded by Clayton resident, Yasmin Clarke. Circle Of aims to give young people the opportunity to work creatively to explore race, culture, heritage, and identity.

Circle Of recently ran an Arts Council funded project, The Kaleidoscope Project, for 5-16 year olds in East Manchester.

As part of the 14 week project, young people of diverse ethnic heritage in Clayton took part in workshops that pair discussions of race and identity with multimedia art and materials.

Throughout the project, participants shared parts of their culture and language, asked questions of the wider world they exist in and have been able to consider the importance of community, identity and belonging.

The Kaleidoscope Project was created to give young people a safe space to have collaborative discussions but also to enable organisations to understand how the arts, education & social impact sectors can better support some of the underrepresented parts of our local communities.

Young people had the opportunity to create an artistic reflection of their self-identity in a form of their choice, i.e. a poem, a piece of prose, a drawing, a sculpture, a mosaic etc.

The Kaleidoscope Project was exhibited in Beswick library for a month at the end of 2022 and the young people loved the opportunity to present their artwork at the launch in November.

Step Up for Circle Of

Support with funding, volunteer support to run sessions, support with social media, a local place for the group to meet, a creative mind to join the Board of Trustees.

Contact Yasmin Clarke to find out more.