How does E2M contribute positively with young people and the community and how can its impact be enhanced? An evaluation of the Heritage Market Festival Project

Executive summary: The 2022 Youth Review report from Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport acknowledges that youth work is diverse landscape, comprised of a wide range of elements including community organisations and Local Authority run services alongside volunteers and professional youth workers. The Covid-19 pandemic has created several challenges for children and young people and youth work is recognised as an important means of responding to these. Founded in 2018, Escape2Make (E2M) is a charitable incorporated organisation in the Lancaster and Morecambe area focused on working with 11-18 year olds. E2M takes an inclusive approach and aims to help all young people escape from boredom, social media, loneliness and pressures at home or school. E2M runs creative arts projects and weekly clubs which are designed with the aim of “help[ing] young people to make things, make friends and make a difference in the community” (E2M, 2023a). This report looks at the Heritage Market Festival project. This project was run by E2M and was a collaboration between E2M and Lancaster City Museums, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, coinciding with the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Museums (E2M, 2023b). On 17th December 2023, an all-day market festival held in Lancaster city centre showcased the creative and artistic outputs from a series of 10 five week-long creative arts programmes and 4 one-day workshops. The market festival was open for members of the public to attend, and this provided an opportunity for young people to engage with the wider Lancaster and Morecambe community.