Derby Promise's first Roots festival transformed Electric Daisy into a careers marketplace.
Continuing the programme’s mission to connect young people with careers inspiration and opportunities to get some closer to the labour market, Roots saw the relaxed venue on Bold Lane packed with a mix of families, professionals, hands-on workshops and careers information, advice and guidance stalls.
Over 100 teenagers tried their hand at gardening, screen printing, DJing and content creation, taking the opportunity to learn more about the ways in which practitioners had forged their own career paths.
Young people were asked to share “the opportunity that would make the biggest difference to me,” and “what I want employers in Derby to understand about young people like me”. Their responses were then transformed into a colourful artwork by a professional illustrator, who was on-hand to demonstrate the power of communicating through creativity and answer questions around his own career journey.
Between activities, young people enjoyed toasting smores and snacking on woodfired pizzas under the cosy marquee, before giving the next creative skill a whirl.
Roots was created as part of Derby City Council's Derby Promise – a city-wide programme providing enriching experiences to children and young people, with the aim of raising aspirations and ending youth unemployment.
The initiative places a particular focus on Derby’s five strongest economic growth areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM); Sport and Leisure; AI and Design; Automotive and Rail; and Creative and Culture, ensuring that that city’s children are able to access related education, employment and training opportunities, and that employers make the most of the talented minds on their doorstep.
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills said:
It’s important that we plant the seed of careers aspiration in our young people as early as possible – both through the curriculum, and through hands-on experiences. We live in a city that has so much to offer in terms of employment and growth, but we need to make sure that all of our children and young people are aware of and can access those opportunities.
Seeing children absorbed in creative workshops, asking questions and discovering new, modern pathways into the world of work today has been great – there’s a real sense that with hard work and the right support, a creative passion can turn into a fulfilling career.
Roots was only the second in a series of exciting and enriching events planned by the Derby Promise this year. Next up is an employer summit, where the thoughts and opinions gathered from young people at Roots will be presented to local employers, who will be invited to pledge practical support to help young people to connect their career dreams with education, employment and training opportunities.