Young Architect's Group

Weekly, 12-18 years

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Welcome to the UK's only weekly architecture group! Our sessions are structured to teach our students the basics of building and spacial design to help them understand the implications of their design decisions.

Along as our tutors Kate and Elena, we will have volunteer (and DBS checked) university students assisting, along with other drop-in teachers. It is a great opportunity for skill sharing, confidence building and for budding architects to ask those studying the subject about university life.

The awareness of the importance of an architectural education for children has been steadily growing as the value of their spatial and cultural knowledge becomes apparent. Education, from an early age, is one of the most important ways of protecting the cultural landscape and maintaining sustainable architectural development - including its including aesthetic, cultural and creative quality.

There is an inherent value in architectural education for children and young people as they are members of, and future adults in, society. Educators and practitioners from a range of disciplines have espoused the ‘manifest value’ in children’s built environment education; regardless of whether they are to go on to work in the built environment.

By providing architecture education to children, our future adult citizens will have different expectations of quality regarding their built environments. They would be less likely to perceive architecture as primarily a matter of ‘decoration’, and more likely to take an active role in its development - whether that is as designers or as the conscious recipients and advocates of their own built environment.

Body Positive Life Drawing Group

Monthly, teens welcomed

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On the last Sunday of each month, Our Creative Community hosts an inclusive life drawing session in collaboration with the University of West England.

As well as holding a space for the students of Frenchay campus to practise their creativity and recording skills, we also invite young creatives to join us. This unique offering allows us to share this experience, which provides a healthy and alternative view to the edited images of bodies we see every day in the media.

It is also great for the students to see a nude woman in a completely desexualised setting away from the male gaze.These sessions will help teens appreciate how beautiful, remarkable and individual all bodies are, while involving them in the more fun and expressive side of art that's not usually available to younger creatives.

We also recognise the importance of the visual arts in their ability to share stories and narratives, as well as their power to ground the artist and create a freeing and mindful experience. 

Our sessions are completely beginner friendly and provide the group with all the materials needed. These sessions are all about mindfulness, enjoyment and relaxation.

Our safeguarding is rigorous and all our models are DBS checked and well known to us, as they also model for our UWEBIC students. Please review our Life Drawing page to see how we keep our creatives and models safe and supported during our classes.