Callums International Creative Jam Reflections
On a May bank holiday Monday, while the rest of Devon was preparing to return to work after a long weekend, I was gearing up for what would be a youth trip to remember.
I’ve enjoyed working with the AYCH project in various capacities for almost 4 years now, and the International Creative Jam 2023 (ICJ) has to be the highlight. Our group comprised four young people, one language & culture expert, and four senior youth workers (myself included), and our task was simple: travel to France, innovate business solutions to social issues, meet young people from around the world, overcome 4+ language barriers, and take part in some friendly competition. Okay, maybe the task wasn’t that simple…
On the banks of the Loire river, Nantes is moving away from its shipping and industrial history to become a hub of creativity, arts, and innovation. On the Île De Nantes, old warehouses are transformed by art installations, live music, and pop up food stalls. The old slipway is now a sort of steampunk fairground, and a mechanical elephant tours the island, weaving between monumental cranes, spraying tourists with water from its trunk. L’Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique is too based on ‘the island’, and as a project partner of AYCH was our generous host for the ICJ. It’s a fascinating city to visit, and EDNA was the perfect place to get creative, with their wealth of design space and expertise.
For me, one of the toughest parts of the journey was the overnight ferry crossing from Plymouth to Roscoff. I don’t do well on the water, or fairground teacups for that matter, and the motion of the ocean stayed in my inner ear for three days. Every time I stood up I would feel as if I was back on board, but the group kindly resisted laughing at me too much. My fellow travellers took it in their stride though, and handled the overnight ferry, and 5 hours in a minibus with style.
The ICJ itself was a three day event. On day one we met the other participants and organisers, formed cross-cultural teams, and began innovating around one of three themes: sustainable cities, social frontiers, and non-gendered cities. On day two, the teams of young people sent members to various workshops gaining expertise to support their innovative ideas. On day three, teams finalised their ideas and pitched to a panel of experts to choose a winner.
The young people from Space were split into different groups and though each was the youngest in their team, they represented themselves with confidence and brought a wealth of expertise. This was great to see as a youth worker - we often talk about promoting self-esteem and resilience in our work, and these young people showed it in spades. Despite the stresses of time pressure, competition, lack of sleep, and the melting pot of different accents and cultures, our group of young people was one of the first to arrive and the last to leave the university each day. They embraced the challenges to make the most of the opportunities. I’m proud of each of them - inspiring stuff!
The highlight of the trip for me was watching the UK young people, my travel companions, independently advocate for themselves in a complex international environment. They truly embodied the Space Values: acting with Integrity by doing right by themselves, sticking to their guns, and taking wellness breaks when they needed to; collaborating with their team to co-create, stepping forward to present their ideas, and giving others space; respecting their team as individuals to communicate effectively despite several language barriers; working dynamically to roll with the intense and varied activities; taking accountability for their wellbeing, and by keeping conviction in their ideas; and being determined to push through the early mornings and complicated catering situations to stay positive throughout.
It was a pleasure to attend this event alongside such a wonderful group of young people. I could see that each of them fully gave themselves to the experience and got just as much out of it. In the words of on of the group:
“I found my experience with AYCH thoroughly enjoyable and extremely eye-opening. The time I spent there exposed me to many new opportunities, for example; it allowed me to meet like-minded people, explore new and exciting ideas and it has helped me grow as an individual.”
I hope to see more projects like this for young people, with opportunities to travel and innovate for change. For more information on AYCH and the International Creative Jam in Nantes, check out the AYCH website and socials, and keep your eyes peeled on the Space socials for opportunities to get involved!
