Silhouete Youth end of year report 2025.
It has been an exceptional year for Silhouette, and we have made some huge strides in the work we do. We are now engaging more young people then we ever have, we work with more schools then we ever could imagine, and our performance work continues to improve year on year. The team have done an exceptional job and we have continued our commitment to our apprentice scheme and the development of our young people as leaders. Feedback from all parents and organisations that work with us has been positive and we continue to raise the profile of our charity across Northamptonshire and beyond.
Who is Silhouete Youth?
Silhouette Youth is a charity that works in one of the most deprived areas in Northamptonshire (as per Northampton Hidden needs report and 2019 deprivation indexes) and we aim to provide accessible and affordable opportunities for all by using the performing arts to change lives and transform communities. Joseph – one of our young people – created the slogan ‘Redirect the light’ as he believes we redirect the light to the young people and communities that need it the most!
The majority of our work takes place on the top floor of a shopping centre where we currently occupy three spaces. We work with 350 young people every week and we run sessions in dance, music, drama, musical theatre and Shakespeare. We are proud to be a Royal Shakespeare Company Regional theatre partner which has transformed the work we do. We have an outreach programme that encompasses 48 local Primary and Secondary schools and we work with Northampton College and Northampton University. We aim to produce at least 12 productions a year and we perform in spaces across Northampton always providing a ‘pay what you can’ solution so that every young person and adult can have access to high quality theatre without money being a deciding factor.
Our charity has grown substantially in the 6 years that it has been going, and we have now reached a pivotal point where we are at capacity, we are in demand, and we have waiting lists on every session. This means that we need to grow even further and put organisational structures in place that will allow future sustainability and a chance to change more lives. We are also in the process of securing financial backing that will see us open a 300-seater theatre within the shopping centre. This will allow us to showcase more of the work we do, provide jobs and apprenticeships and a space that our community can celebrate their young people.
The organisation is run by an exceptional group of trustees who are all based in the community we serve. The Leadership team, which is made of 15 young people, are the centre of everything we do, and they drive the charity through supportive challenge. Our parent body is a force to be reckoned with and many of them are regular volunteers and support us in all the work we do.
Silhouette youth also works with many providers within Northampton to develop the wellbeing, mental health, confidence, safety and security of young people. We are part of the VCSE, The Cultural Compact and are currently a pilot organisation to show the impact of the work we do. We work with
1 Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
NAYC, The Lowdown, Blackthorn Community centre, Emmanuel Churches and the list goes on! Partnership work is key to our success, and we see ourselves as one of many groups that can support our young people and community. Only together can we truly make this change!
Why do people need Silhouete Youth?
I have had the honour and privilege of being a Headteacher for 19 years and I have worked in Northampton for a long time. My last school was based in the very area of Weston Favell Shopping Centre where our studios are located. I know this area well and I can therefore speak openly and honestly about the needs of the young people, community and partner organisations.
Safety and security: The Eastern Districts of Northampton are well known for the high level of crime, police involvement, social services involvement, knife crime, racist incidents and A and E referrals. The 2019 deprivation Indices and the Northampton Hidden Needs report shows the facts, figures and percentages. Silhouette Youth is based in a space that has constant security (most of our parents are on the security team), is in the heart of the community and is run by practitioners that have a long history of working with young people with complex needs. It is a space where their voices are listened to and acted upon and they are respected and nurtured. It is a disciplined environment where young people work hard and achieve a high standard in everything they do.
93% of parents and young people said that Silhouette is their safe space (Silhouette survey 2024) with parents saying - Silhouette has been an amazing support to my daughter especially this year as she has had a lot of struggles at school, but silhouette has supported her in huge ways we are truly grateful. And young people saying - Silhouette has been a place for me to go and to truly enjoy myself at, a place where I can be myself and spend time with my friends whilst working towards an outstanding production.
Accessibility and afordability: This is a poor community and things are financially difficult. This can be seen by the food bank line (which we help fund) that snakes around the building. It can be seen in the level of financial benefits that are paid out to the community and the high level of social services involvement with families that are in crisis. Due to this financial restriction parents find it difficult to provide activities and experiences for their young people, and that is where we come in!
We are based in the centre of the community which means that most of our young people walk to the venue or use the extensive bus route that stops at the shopping centre. They can drive as there is easy parking, and their parents can use the opportunity to walk round the shopping centre or spend some time together having a coffee! Local schools can walk to our studios and take part in the activities we provide, and we can easily get to them to support them in their creative practice. Everyone is welcome at Silhouette, and this can be seen in the range of young people and parents we work with on a weekly basis and the 48 Primary and Secondary schools we work with on a yearly basis. The fact that every session, no matter what length is only £5 and that no one ever pays more than £15 a week (even though they do up to 8 sessions) means that we keep cost down. We also FUND any family that cannot afford our sessions as money should never be a reason why you can’t attend. Every production is pay what you can on the door, and everyone is welcome.
2 Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
A parent response in our 2024 Survey - Without Silhouette, we would not have been able to send her to anything similar, as there is nothing similar that can offer what she is currently given at this price. With the current financial crisis, we would not be able to afford to send her to other performing arts groups as they are much more expensive.
Inclusion, well-being and mental health: The community that we serve is fractious and there are regular reports of race related crimes and anger and aggression towards the LGBTQ+ community. We have also seen a rise in the lack of support for neurodivergent young people and those that find the school system difficult to navigate. Many of our partner organisations and schools are experience a rise in self-harming, suicidal tendencies and a lack of engagement. Many of these organisations signpost their young people to our provision.
This is something that we pride ourselves on and the recent survey results of young people and parents showed us the impact that we are having.
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93% said that Silhouette had given them a safe space
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95% said that Silhouette was a place where they could enjoy themselves and be happy.
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93% said it was a place where they felt welcome.
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95% said Silhouette was a place where they could learn new skills and knowledge.
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70% said that Silhouette had a direct impact on their wellbeing and mental health.
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84% said that it allowed them to make friends and build positive relationships.
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93% said Silhouette had helped them develop confidence.
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91% said that it allowed them to engage more with the performing arts.
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63% said that being involved in Silhouette had allowed them to become more successful in
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their school life.
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98% said that the work we did in lockdown had a positive impact on their mental health and
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well-being.
For me Silhouette has changed my life. It has boosted my confidence, made me push myself, helped me get to know people from different backgrounds and is my second home.
Celebratng our community and giving young people a voice: The Eastern Districts suffers from a bad reputation, and this has led to the creation of a community that does not celebrate its successes but focusses on its faults. It also means that there are limited to no opportunities to celebrate the great work that it does do. Young people do not have a voice and therefore take out their anger and frustration by being involved in criminal activity.
Silhouette Youth provides these opportunities and through our productions and celebration events we give young people a voice. They direct, act, work on backstage and run a leadership team. They decide on the productions that we do on a yearly basis and choose the work that is meaningful to them. They get opportunities to go to Stratford upon Avon, work with the RSC, go to London, attend events at the Royal and Derngate and the list goes on. They write their own work and have performed this work to 100’s of people. The community comes in and celebrates the work they do and we are at the point where every production we stage is sold out! Through this sharing, celebration and positive experience we have noticed that young people have changed and the community celebrates far more than before.
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Silhouette has provided me with so many opportunities in regards to the arts and creating my social circle. I have never felt so supported with my passions.
Aspiratons: All the data for the area points to the fact that young people have limited aspirations of what they can achieve. They tend to stay within the area and do not venture far from it. They settle for menial jobs rather than explore their talents further. Educational engagement is low and school attendance figures are below average.
This is where we have seen a remarkable impact at Silhouette. Over the last 6 years we have watched young people actively go to further educational establishments. We have seen young people take on apprentices and be involved in a range of work experiences. We are inundated with young people wanting to do work experience at Silhouette Youth and we have taken on two apprentices in the last two years. Over the last three years we have seen more young people look for University and college places than ever before and many of them are now studying in organisations across the country. For many of them they are the first person in the history of their family to leave Northampton or to look for further education. This is a huge impact for this community.
Please be assured that any statements made above can be backed up by a range of data, individual examples and interviews that we have had. Our current pilot project with the VCSE can be shown as well as the work we have done with the RSC.
What is our impact and achievements?
We have a strong belief that it is vital that we can prove the impact of the work that we do. This is not just in the data that we provide but in the real stories that we can tell. Usually we would start with the data but please have a look at this case study. We have called it Child A to secure anonymity.
CASE STUDY: We started working with Child A and his family when he started at Silhouette in 2018. He was previously at the school I used to be Headteacher at and was an exceptional young person who suffered a lot because he was part of the LGBTQ+ community. He also comes from a family that is disadvantaged but works hard to provide for their children. We have funded all his sessions since joining Silhouette and at one point he was doing 8 sessions a week! He had a really difficult time in Secondary and asked for help and support, which we provided for him, and he got through some very difficult times. He started writing, directing and acting in his own work and his play was performed at Silhouette and The Royal and Derngate. He started working with the RSC and went on to join their backstage training and director’s course. He performed as lead characters in a range of shows at Silhouette and built up his portfolio of work. We won the performing arts prize at his secondary school and a national performing arts prize for his trust. He became an apprentice at Silhouette Youth and is going off to University in September 2025. He is currently heading up our leadership team at Silhouette and is working with the National Opera house on an upcoming piece they are doing. He has been highlighted by the RSC as an up-and-coming talent to watch out for.
The Data below shows the impact we have had in the 6 years that we have been working as a charity.
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| Focus | 2018 | 2024 | Projected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly sessions in a range of performing arts. |
42 young people from 11 to 15. |
355 young people from 5 to 18. |
We aim to work with 500 young people a week as we have waitng lists on most classes and need to build capacity. |
| Outreach programme – Schools. |
5 local Primary Schools. |
45 Primary Schools and 3 Secondary schools. |
55 schools as we feel that this would be capacity without afectng quality. |
| Sharing, productons and events. |
3 in year 1. | 15 in a year. | The aim is to look at 20 events throughout the year. The development of a new space will help us to do this. It will also allow local talent to have a space to perform to their community. |
| Community reach. | 325 | 16500 | We contnue to go from strength to strength and we would love to reach 20000people within the next twoyears. |
| % of leavers going in to further educaton, apprentceships or roles in the sector. |
0 | 100% | 10 young people lef Silhouete last year and all of them went in to further educaton and roles in the sector. |
| Young leader programme. |
0 | 15 | We have 15 fully funded positons for youngleaders within ayear. |
| Studio spaces | 1 | 5 | We work in 5 spaces within the shopping centre and these are alreadyfull. |
| Income generaton in ayear. |
£5000 | £208000 | This is based on our current income February2025. |
| Grants and funding support. |
1 | 12 | We have built up a strong relatonship withgrant funders. |
| Partnerships | 2 | 24 | We work in partnership with so many organisatons. Royal Shakespeare company, Royal and Derngate, Blackthorn community centre, The Lowdown, VCSE, West Northants, Free to talk – the list goes on. Partnership work is essental to provide for our young people and families. |
| Geographical areas. | The estates around Weston Favell. |
Weston Favell, Eastern Districts, Centre of Town as far as Milton |
Our geographical reach has develop far and wide. We work in Norht Northants, West Northants, Leicester, Warwickshire, Corby, Ketering and are forever expanding. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
| Keynes and Leicester |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Young people and parent satsfacton and impact. |
No Survey was completed. |
Survey results 2024 |
93% said that Silhouete had given them a safe space 95% said that Silhouete was a place where they could enjoy themselves and be happy. 93% said it was a place where they felt welcome. 95% said Silhouete was a place where they could learn new skills and knowledge. 70% said that Silhouete had a direct impact on their wellbeing and mental health. 84% said that it allowed them to make friends and build positve relatonships. 93% said Silhouete had helped them develop confdence. 91% said that it allowed them to engage more with the performing arts. 63% said that being involved in Silhouete had allowed them to become more successful in their school life. 98% said that the work we did in lockdown had a positve impact on their mental health and well-being. |
| Reach more of the community. |
Did not collect data. |
Please see 2024 data in the next column. |
75% come from low income families. 35% from global majority 15% neurodivergent 16% LGBTQ+ 30% anxiety, wellbeing and mental health This is out of 330young people. |
| Financially supportng families so that atendance is free. |
4 families | 26 families | This contnues to increase. |
| Parent volunteers | 2 | 25 | This contnues to increase with the creaton of the Parentgroup. |
What is our approach to Equity, Diversity and inclusion?
6 Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
The fact that we are driven to provide ‘accessible and affordable opportunities for all’ demonstrates our ongoing dedication to working with young people and communities who have been ignored and marginalised. The fact that we work out of a shopping centre in the centre of one of the most impoverished areas in Northamptonshire shows that we are driven by our desire to transform the lives of those with the most need.
We have made sure that our services can be accessed by everyone. The shopping centre has transport links throughout Northamptonshire and is in walking distance of the community we serve. Due to the fact that many of our young people live in the area this means they can easily access our provision. We also work with 48 schools that are in travelling distance of our studio BUT we tend to go to them! We also provide financial support for those that need transport costs or cannot get to our space.
Silhouette makes sure that the place you are born, the money your family has in the bank or your family situation should NEVER restrict you from reaching your full potential. That is why sessions can be partly or fully funded at any point throughout the year. We currently fully fund 20 families to access the work we do. We also run a ‘pay what you can on the door’ structure for any productions that are performed. We also fund young people to access other productions throughout the county. We provide transport to these productions and fund 80% of all ticket costs.
Due to the large numbers of young people we work with in our studio and within schools we can confidently say that we reach a diverse community that is made up of a range of religions, a range of genders and is gloriously diverse. We actively engage marginalised communities, young people who are neurodivergent and those that are on the spectrum.
We work with young people who are school refusers, are home schooled or who are out of education. Through the range of opportunities, we provide we can prove that these communities are integral to the work that we do. Our focus will always be on the disadvantaged young people in areas where they have no voice and are marginalised. Wea re committed to working with young people from the global majority and giving them a space where they can develop the skills they need to succeed.
We use the term ‘opportunities’ as it is important to us that we develop the aspirations of our young people. This means that we constantly take them to places, have people come in to meet them and put them in situations where they can experience opportunities without being concerned about finance or access. This means that we work with a range of partners that support us in providing these exceptional opportunities.
We can honestly say that we have taken away any barrier that our young people have in accessing our services. This however means that we will always be looking for funding to make this happen but we are committed to making this difference.
Who are our partners and what connectons do we have?
Nothing can be done if we work in a Silo. We need others to develop our practice, to challenge the work we do and to help us improve. We need other organisations to provide opportunities for our
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young people and we need to signpost people to organisations that can help them in times of need. Please see a list of the organisations we work with and why we are working with them?
| Partners that haveyoung people that we work with. | Partners that haveyoung people that we work with. |
|---|---|
| | Northampton Primary Academy Trust – 14 schools all within areas of high social |
| deprivaton. | |
| | Preston Hedges Academy Trust – 5 primary schools that are based in a variety of areas |
| across Northampton. | |
| | Nene Educaton Trust – 5 Primary schools and a Secondary school are based in Rushden |
| and Raunds. | |
| | Nene Valley Partnership – Three Primary schools and a Secondary school that are based |
| in Wellingborough. | |
| | Northampton Academy - A Secondary school that is based across the road from the |
| Shopping Centre. | |
| | Castle Primary and NIA – A Primary and Secondary School based in the centre of |
| Northampton. | |
| | Kirby Muxloe – A primary school based in Leicester. |
| | Ketering Science Academy – A Secondary based in Ketering. |
| | Greenoaks Primary – A Primary School in Northampton. |
| | Hawthorne Primary School – A primary school based in Wellingborough. |
| | Mencap. |
| | Northgate Special School. |
| Partners thatprovide ouryoung people with opportunites. | |
| | We are an Associate Regional Theatre partner with The Royal Shakespeare Company. |
| | We work closely with The Royal and Derngate Theatre in town. |
| | Intermission Youth Theatre in London who work with global majority young people. |
| | The Core at the Cube in Corby. |
| | Emmanuel Churches. |
| | The Life Centre. |
| | The Northampton College. |
| | Northampton University. |
| | The Castle Theatre. |
| | The Old Savoy Theatre. |
| | Weston Favell Shopping Centre. |
| | Northampton carnival. |
| | East Midlands Actors group. |
| | Northampton Film Festval. |
| | Delepre Abby. |
| | Northampton Music Performance Trust. |
| | Narratve Alchemy. |
| Partners thatprovide support for ouryoung people. | |
| | The Lowdown that support with mental health and wellbeing. |
| | VoluntaryImpact Northampton. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
| | The voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE). |
|---|---|
| | Blackthorn Community Centre. |
| | Public Health and Wellbeing service. |
| | Local Area Partnership. |
| Funders that have supported us. | |
| | Natonal Lotery Reaching communites. |
| | The Tudor Trust. |
| | Youth Music – Trailblazer. |
| | Ironmongers. |
| | Clothesworkers. |
| | Co – Op foundaton. |
| | Northampton Community Foundaton. |
| | Wooden Spoon. |
Silhouette Youth currently run two ‘gathering events’. This is when organisations and partners come together to share, chat, discuss and solve the issues that our community faces. These events are held three times a year and provide a space to share and support. They have no agenda’s, no minutes and are just a safe space to help others.
What are the relevant experiences and skills your team brings.
Our team comprises three parts. The youth leadership group, our Trustees and our Practitioners. 1) The Youth Leadership group is made up of 15 young people that are from our community and truly represent the people that we serve. They come with a clear understanding of disadvantage, lived experience, neurodivergence and LGBTQ+ and know what our community and its young people need to thrive and develop further. They are a force for change and set the direction of the organisation, providing supportive challenge in everything we do.
2) The trustees are all based in our community, or have worked in our community, and have a history of supporting young people and families to fulfil their full potential. We have Education professionals on the board who run schools, work in the University and have a deep knowledge of quality learning and teaching and how to provide for young people. We have a trustee that works for the RSC to support schools and young people from communities that needs accessible and affordable opportunities for all. We have a Trustee that is strongly involved in racial equality and ethnic diversity and is a leader within the community in challenging both of the above.
3) Our CEO, Artistic Director and Practitioners all have a long history of working within the community we serve, and our CEO was a headteacher in areas of deprivation and high need for almost 19 years. Our musical director has worked with young people who are vulnerable and at risk for over 20 years and supports them in using music to help them deal with a range of issues that they are facing. Our voice practitioner has a strong link to the LGBTQ+ community and has a deep understanding of supporting young people who need guidance and help at difficult times. Our joint Artistic director and dance practitioner has worked in schools within the area for over 30 years and herself came from a difficult background and therefore can support our young people to reach their full potential.
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
4) We work with a range of freelance practitioners within Northampton, and they support us in running weekly sessions, working in schools and performance. All these individuals are from the local community, and we make sure that we provide opportunities and jobs for professionals that are in Northampton.
5) We run a strong apprenticeship structure, and we take on one or two every year. These apprentices come from our community and many of them have been with Silhouette for many years. We provide work experience opportunities for 10 young people every year and we support others who want to come and see what we do and how we do it.
The strength of our team can be seen in the fact that we have reached our capacity of 350 young people a week and 48 schools a year. Many of these schools have been working with us for over 3 years and keep coming back due to the quality of our work.
What is the current fnancial situaton at Silhouete?
As a charity we have been running for 6 and a half years now. Our starting point was 0 money in the bank and 0 funding. We have received funding from a range of funders over the years who are committed, as we are, to providing accessible and affordable opportunities for all.
How do we fund our work?
There are five key areas to our funding strategy:
Grants – We have received grants from reaching Communities, The Tudor Trust, Northampton Community Foundation, Youth Music, Wooden Spoon, Co Op foundation, The Arts Council and The National Lottery. We put in grant bids to funders that fund young people in areas of social disadvantage and those that support the Arts. We currently have grants in with The Arts Council and the Paul Hamlyn foundation.
Working in schools – We currently run creative projects within 48 schools within Northamptonshire. This brings in an annual income of approximately £71000.00 and allows us to provide Silhouette sessions at an affordable rate.
Donatons – We are starting to work with more local groups that are beginning to donate to the work we do as they have seen the impact that it has had. Our parents and leadership team also run fundraising events to raise funds to support our young people.
Fees – The young people pay £5.00 a session, no matter what length. If they do more than three sessions a week, they never pay more than £15.00. We also fund families that cannot afford the fees, and all our leadership team attend for free as a thank you for their time.
Performance – We run a pay what you can on the door structure to make all our work accessible. Any money that is earned goes back in to providing practitioners for sessions and supporting families.
Celebratng the year we have had!
Summer 2024 – April to August
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| What did we do? | What was the outcome/impact? |
|---|---|
| Worked with schools in theNene Educaton Trust on a programme of new writers and the celebraton of new work. We worked on drama, dance and songwritng in every school, and they then performed this at the Castle Theatre in Raunds. |
Development of 14 new writers and 7 original pieces of work. 140 young people involved in drama, dance and writng their own songs. 7 original dances and music compositons created. 20 teachers trained on using creatve practces. 500 parents and siblings were able to watch the performance at the Castle Theatre. |
| Worked with schools in the Preston Hedges Academy Trust on Macbeth. We worked on drama, dance and songwritng in every school, and they then performed this at the Royal Theatre in Northampton. |
Recepton to Year 6 in every school had a creatve experience. 1560 young people involved. 150 young people involved in the creaton of the performance piece. 150 teachers involved in the project. 540 parents and siblings were able to watch the performance at the Royal Theatre. |
| We provided 5 diferentwork experienceopportunites for young people at Silhouete over the Summer. |
5 young people spent the week with us in schools and running creatve projects. All of these young people atend Silhouete. Development of skills, knowledge and understanding of working in an organisaton. We are commited to doingthis every year. |
| We worked on anOracy project with year 3 children in Preston Hedges Primary School. |
60 young people worked for three days on developing Oracy. Improvement in confdence, speech and the ability to share ideas. This will now be a yearly initatve and will be open to other schools. |
| Showcase eventsfor every session at Silhouete. All parents were invited in to watch sessions at Silhouete to see their young people involved in creatve practces. |
13 sessions opened up to parents. 180 young people performing. Over 200 parents atended sessions that week. |
| Silhouete was shortlisted for a community awardfor the work we do at Weston Favell shopping centre. |
Raising the profle of our charity. Commitment and support from Weston Favell Shopping centre for the work we do. |
| RSC Playmaking Festvalwhere 20 young people from our local Secondary schools got a chance to perform on the main stage in Stratord Upon Avon. |
20 young people worked on a performance of Hamlet. 5 teachers received training on the play. Teachers in Secondary schools worked on the project. Performed in Stratord Upon Avon and led to the work we will do as Associate schools in 2025. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
Holiday rehearsals for Teen 30 young people creatively connected during the performance of Rocky Horror holiday. Picture show. Holiday provision for young people who needed it. The team got together during the Summer holidays and were able to prepare for the year ahead. We looked at things that went well, things to develop further and what we wanted to improve in 2025. This formed the beginning of our development plan and allowed us to look at what want could help us develop even further. It also allowed us to look at the possibility of building a new space in the shopping centre that would become a community space for the people that need it the most.
First Term – September 2024 to December 2024
| What did we do? | What was the outcome/impact? |
|---|---|
| Introducton of ournew programme for 2024 / 2025. New weekly sessions with some new freelance practtoners from Northampton. |
Please see atached tmetable of weekly sessions. Two new roles created for freelance practtoners in Northampton. 90 new families atended our open day. Grew our reach to nearly350young people! |
| Teen productonof Rocky Horror picture show to the parents and the public. |
Pay what you can on the door producton that allowed 400 people to see the play within a week. 30 young people develop their creatve skills and were able to perform to others. Development of confdence, wellbeing and creatng positve relatonships with others. |
| We created a role for a paid apprentceat Silhouete. This was the second year where we were able to provide this positon. |
Thomas Bursnoll, who has been at Silhouete since Primary School, become our second apprentce. He has had a huge impact on the work we do and has had an exceptonal year. One of the main roles he has had is to run the leadership team of 15 young people and to develop our social media. |
| We saidgoodbyeto 6 young people at Silhouete. |
All these young people have gone on to further educaton. 5 of them went to university to study and one become our apprentce. For over 75% of them they were the frst people in the historyof their familytogo to further educaton. |
| Started to work with Kandinsky to look at a new producton about young people and the way they view school. Research and Development programme. |
20 young people working with industry professionals. 20 young people involved in research and development of new work. Creaton of new work with the Royal and Derngate. |
| Started working on theNatonal Theatre Connectons programme for |
Two practtoners atended training at the Natonal Theatre. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
| the year. | 30 young people began working on the connectons programme. Working on new writng and new plays to be performed in Northampton. |
|---|---|
| Started to work withKetering Science Academyon a programme that will use the performing arts to reach young people who are disengaged with educaton. |
Start to look at how the performing arts can engage young people. Development of drama, music and dance departments. Raising the profle of the arts but also using it to develop well-being. Access and excellence in a large secondaryschool. |
| Development of a plan to create a community spaceat Weston Favell Shopping Centre. This is an ongoing piece of work. |
Meetng with local authority and interested groups to raise the profle of the work we do. Creaton of a detailed three-year plan for the development of a community space. Meetng with a range of councillors and politcians to raise theprofle of the impact of theperformingarts. |
| Started work with thePreston Hedges Academy Truston their producton of Midsummer Nights Dream. |
Recepton to Year 6 in every school had a creatve experience. 1560 young people involved. 150 young people involved in the creaton of the performance piece. 150 teachers involved in the project. 540 parents and siblings were able to watch the performance at the Royal Theatre. |
| Teacher training sessionson using creatve practces in class and how to engage with Shakespeare texts. Development of Oracy skills. |
Three training sessions for Northampton Primary Academy Trust – 60 teachers trained. Training session for Preston hedges Academy Trust – 20 teachers trained. ECT teachers trained on using creatve practces. Worked alongside the Royal Shakespeare company to develop practce. Allpracttoners received training. |
| Silhouete hosted anRSC theatre partners meetngfor theatres across the country. |
Working with others to develop our practce. Raise the profle of the work we do. Develop our skills and knowledge. Provide further opportunites for our practtoners andyoung people. |
| Two new freelance practtoners added to the team. This was in our original plan to develop capacity of the organisaton. |
Allowed us to develop more capacity for young people to join sessions. Gave tme to CEO to raise profle of Silhouete and start to develop the community space. Time to look more strategically at the organisaton. Providejobs for local creatves. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
| Greater engagementwith local authority, community, VCSE and those that can infuence change. |
Multple meetngs and sessions with policy makers and those that have infuence in Northampton. Engaged with employment fairs, VCSE, Lucy Rigby and the organisatons that can have an impact on our young people. Made strong connectons and raised theprofle of the work we do. |
|---|---|
| 50 Years of Weston Favellcelebraton event. Silhouete was involved in the creaton, development and performance of a piece that looked at the impact the centre has had on peoples lives. |
Celebraton event with our community. Creaton of a piece of work that was seen by the community. Provision of paid work for our young people. Working with industry professionals. Chance to show our appreciaton and shar ethe work we do with others. Raise theprofle of our charity. |
| Development ofLeaders and Ambassadorsat Silhouete. Creaton of 15 spaces for leaders. This programme has gone from strength to strength this year thanks to funding and support. |
The programme has been run by our apprtce this year who has done an exceptonal job. Backstage training and dveleopment. Marketng training and development and social media improvement. All roles in every producton taken on by young people. Development of knowledge and skills needed to get future jobs. All leadershiproles have been funded for theyear. |
| New writng sessionsheld in every Nene Educaton Trust schools where 20 young people had the opportunity to work with local writers and actors on the creaton of original work. |
140 young people took part in writng workshops. Three practtoners worked in schools and developed new writng. Development of Oracy skills. Employment opportunites for local creatves. |
| Connected training eventfor teachers and practtoners at the Royal Shakespeare Company. |
Training event for our teachers and practtoners on the development of our practce. Chance to engage with other professionals from across the country. Chance to assess how we can improve the work we do. Further develop strong links with the RSC and future opportunites for ouryoung people. |
| Community producton of Oliver Twist over three days to parents and the community. Pay what you can on the door to make sure that it was accessible and afordable. |
45 young people performed in the producton over three days. A community audience of over 300 young pople. Run by practtoners, the leadership team and the apprentce. Performance took place in the shopping centre allowingthe communityto be involved. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
| Next generaton Backstagetraining at the RSC to develop the skills and knowledge needed to run backstage roles and to get future employment. |
10 young people took part in the training and development opportunity. These skills have then been used in every producton we have had this year. Future skills for employability. Our apprentce was involved in a directors capacity. Trainingand development opportunites. |
|---|---|
| Open session weekwhere every parent is invited in to watch sessions at Silhouete. |
Opportunity for positve opportutnites to show work. A chance for young people to express themselves and develop confdence. A chance for positve reinforcement. Bringingthe communi9tyin to our work. |
Second Term – January 2025 to April 2025
| What did we do? | What was the outcome/impact? |
|---|---|
| Started working with the 14 schools that make up theNorthampton Academy Truston their Henry V project. Resultng in all schools performing at the Derngate Theatre. |
Engaged with 14 local schools. 360 young people 50 teachers. Final audience of over 1000. Allowed us to give work to two local practtoners on a freelance basis. |
| Opportunites for young people around the producton of Macbeth. |
Atended a screening of David Tenants Macbeth at the local Northampton Film house. Got an opportunity to work with professional actors on the producton. Opportunity for local actors to be involved in the producton. |
| Working with three local Secondary Schools who form ourAssociate schools’ programme. Working on a new producton called Oh What Fools these mortals be! |
Training for teachers on the use of creatve practces. 32 young people are part of the project. New script created. Producton at the Royal in June 2025. Open to the public and the community. |
| Dance and music showcaseevent to parents and the public where young people get a chance to show the work they are doing. This event sold out! |
Parents and the community being able to be involved in accessible and afordable creatve experiences. Development of confdence and improvement of well being. Young people took all backstage roles in the event. |
| Nene Valley Academy Truststarted working with us. A new group that was impressed with the work we did |
New schools involved with the work we do. A Secondary and three primaries. Teacher trainingfor 20 teachers. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
| and wanted to join us. | Working in 4 schools and reaching 150 new young people. Engaging with Shakespeare text and developing Oracy. |
|---|---|
| Take over week atKirby Muxloe where every young person got a chance engage with dance, music and drama. |
240 young people worked with 5 diferent practtoners over the week. Creaton of new music and new work. Celebraton event on the Friday to share with others. |
| Greenoaks– new primary school – wanted to work with us on giving their young people greater access to the performing Arts to develop their wellbeing. |
Worked with every child in the school from Recepton to Year 6. Engaged in dance, singing and drama. Chance for further training for our apprentce and work experience opportunites. Further develop our reach and the communites we serve. |
| Rehearsals and Easter sessions. Our young people atended sessions for FREE over the Easter Holiday to work on theirproductons. |
Free sessions for young people during the holidays. Opportunites to further develop their work. Leadership opportunites. |
Third Term – April 2025 to August 2025 (what is stll to come)
| What will we do? | What will the outcome/impact be? |
|---|---|
| Worked with schools in theNene Educaton Trust on a programme of new writers and the celebraton of new work. We worked on drama, dance and songwritng in every school, and they then performed this at the Castle Theatre in Raunds. |
Development of 14 new writers and 7 original pieces of work. 140 young people involved in drama, dance and writng their own songs. 7 original dances and music compositons created. 20 teachers trained on using creatve practces. 500 parents and siblings were able to watch the performance at the Castle Theatre. |
| Working withHawthorne Primaryto develop the Year 6 Oracy skills and wellbeingusing the performing Arts. |
Training all teachers on the use of creatve practces. Engage with high level text using the performing arts. Get young people to work together on a positve experience. To engageyoung people with stories. |
| Teen group performance of Educaton, Educaton, Educaton. Three diferent casts will perform their producton at Weston Favell Shoppingcentre toparents and the |
40 young people getng a chance to perform. All backstage roles being run by the leadership team. Pay what you can on the door means that it is accessible and afordable to all. |
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Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
| community. | Giving our young people a voice in our community to share their view of Educaton. |
|---|---|
| First Encounters Producton of The Tempest to be held at Silhouete. The RSC performance will be open to parents and the community and is already sold out. We will be running Tempest sessions in three local Secondary schools to support their young people when they come and watch. |
Community producton that will be seen by over 500 young people and parents. Professionals from the RSC in our community in a play that explores racism and the afect it can have. Young people having backstage roles. |
| Productons ofHenry V by NPAT. Oh What fools these mortals be by our Associate Secondary Schools. The Tempest by Nene Valley Trust.New work by Nene Educaton Trust. |
Three diferent productons in three diferent venues across Northampton. Over 600 young people sharing their work on stage. Over 1500 parents and the community sharing the experience. What an incredible creatve result! |
What are the concerns for the future?
We are in the process of looking at the creation of a dedicated creative space within the shopping centre that we work from. This would have a huge impact on finances as we will be able to generate income by renting our space, getting local artists to perform, getting touring companies in and raising the profile of the work we do.
Funding is difficult now as there seems to be a lot more charities looking for financial support. This will obviously have an impact on the work we do as we serve communities that have limited to no expendable income.
We are growing quickly and that means we need to look closely at our capacity and what we can afford to do as opposed to what we would like to do.
We have definitely raised our profile throughout this year but this has not currently resulted in any further financial commitment as Northampton is in financial difficulty.
It has been an exceptional year and we continue to learn quickly. We need to create a clear plan for the next three years and it needs to be focussed on finance and what is affordable.
Thank you for taking the time to read this report. At Silhouette we realise that we have chosen to work with the most disadvantaged young people in the country and it is our driving force, our moral compass. We are forever committed to providing these young people with the opportunities that others have because of where they have been born, the money in their bank or the families they have. We must address this and we have to be the solution. Thank you so much for your help and support. We could not do this without you.
17 Charity number: 1181276 Contact email: admin@silyt.com Contact number: 07368318006
CHARITY COMMISSION | FOR (MGLfvJIO AND WAIIS HOUEsfE -. Annual accounts for the To nod 01 Dec 2023 Section A Statement of financial a¢tivities Prfoty•ar Tow fun Trds Incomiw resour8 (Note 31 F01 Ftr2 F03 F04 F05 159421 45 339 153982 45.339 1.941 1 941 Rewvrcej exp•ndAd (Note $) 18 g.U76 195.461 2.700 31.N8 147 757 9.876 195.461 2.700 Toial Nel inetyrf•xwdiiure) b•fore inwlmtrt gainsl{los8¢$1 Nvt In¢om1lexndrtUr•1 Extra•rdln•ry iiem• TAnshr beb**en fvnds oth•r recognksed 9ainrf1os>. 24.821 24.821 1.354 24, S5 521 53. 2202$ CC17alE)
CHARITY COMMISSION | FOR (MGLfvJIO AND WAIIS HOUEsfE -. Annual accounts for the To nod 01 Dec 2023 Section A Statement of financial a¢tivities Prfoty•ar Tow fun Trds Incomiw resour8 (Note 31 F01 Ftr2 F03 F04 F05 159421 45 339 153982 45.339 1.941 1 941 Rewvrcej exp•ndAd (Note $) 18 g.U76 195.461 2.700 31.N8 147 757 9.876 195.461 2.700 Toial Nel inetyrf•xwdiiure) b•fore inwlmtrt gainsl{los8¢$1 Nvt In¢om1lexndrtUr•1 Extra•rdln•ry iiem• TAnshr beb**en fvnds oth•r recognksed 9ainrf1os>. 24.821 24.821 1.354 24, S5 521 53. 2202$ CC17alE)