Emma Golby-Kirk
Project Manager - The Agency, Southampton
07709 714598
The Agency is an exciting youth social entrepreneurship programme. It empowers young people to create the change that they want to see in their communities.
We believe that young people know best how to make their communities healthier and happier places to live. Through the delivery of a 12-week creative programme, we support them to explore their ideas for social change and then gain the tools they need to put them into action.
We choose to deliver The Agency in areas that will benefit the most. Our vision is to make a real difference to the lives of local young people. The Agency encourages them to create solutions that energise their communities, create a positive impact and leave a lasting legacy.
At the end of 12 weeks, young people present their project ideas to a panel of community experts. Three projects are chosen to receive awards of £2,000 and a further 16 weeks of support to make them happen.
We are currently recruiting for the next Agency programme which starts on 23 July 2022. If you are aged between 15 and 25 and live in the Northam or St Mary’s areas of Southampton, please hop over to The Agency Website to find out more and fill out a contact form. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Find out more about The Agency Southampton 2022 and fill out a contact form.
Visit site Emma Golby-Kirk
Project Manager - The Agency, Southampton
07709 714598
Through The Agency I realised I have talents I didn’t know I had before. I used to hate public speaking. Now I do it for fun.
Faidat, Manchester Agent
Not only does the Agency place young people at the centre of decision making about issues and priorities that they as young people have identified, but the agents themselves exemplify what young people can achieve.
Jason Murphy, Stronger Communities Manager, Southampton City Manager
The Agency was first developed in the favelas of Brazil by theatre-maker Marcus Faustini. It is innovative because it recognises young people as experts in their communities and uses creative activities to help them turn their ideas into a reality. Its success led Contact Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre to bring it to the UK.
The programme has been running in Manchester, London, Cardiff and Belfast since 2013. We launched it in Southampton in May 2021 and are proud to play our part in growing a national community of young ‘agents of change’.
The Agency UK is a Battersea Arts Centre and Contact programme devised in partnership with People’s Palace Projects.
Current partners include: Kiln Theatre, Blackhorse Workshop, National Theatre Wales and Fablab, Belfast. Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
The Agency is a programme originally conceived by Marcus Faustini in Rio de Janeiro where it is delivered by Agência de Redes para a Juventude. The UK pilot (2013-15) was funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness
