Empower Youth Theatre Encounter: Creativity for All, offers a transformative residential experience where young people with disabilities and/or other barriers for participation engage in fun, artistic, skill-building and social activities over three days.
What is Empower Youth Theatre Encounter: Creativity for All?
Empower Youth Theatre Encounter: Creativity for All will provide a safe and welcoming environment for young people ages 12-17 to explore their creativity, learn new skills, and build connections with like-minded young people from youth theatres across Ireland to help develop their social, artistic, and personal development.
Workshops will also foster confidence, self-expression, teamwork and a chance to flourish alongside their peers. In addition, participants have opportunities for informal social interactions and a host of planned activities.
By bringing together young people from diverse backgrounds and abilities, Empower Youth Theatre Encounter: Creativity for All promotes inclusivity and fosters a sense of belonging within the youth theatre community.
The event aims to empower participants to realise their creative potential, break down barriers, and inspire positive change both within themselves and in their broader communities.
When and Where Will It Happen?
Empower Youth Theatre Encounter: Creativity for All will take place at Kilkenny College form July 7th - 9th 2025.
- 10 Affiliated Youth Theatres will take part.
- Youth Theatres can bring a maximum of 4 young people.Young people must be aged 12 -17.
- Youth theatres can bring up to 4 leaders, 2 of which much be regular leaders with the group and 2 leaders may be parents or primary care givers, depending on the specific needs of each young person*
- Youth Theatre must be able to fully commit to 3 day residential from July 7th -9th
- Leaders take part in training weekend on May 23rd - 25th at Maynooth University. This training will utilise the existing resource ‘A Handbook for Youth Theatre Facilitators; Supporting Young People on the Autism Spectrum’ created in 2020 through a partnership project between Youth Theatre Ireland and AsIAm.
*In the case of parents coming to specifically look after their own children, they do not have to be Garda vetted. Their responsibilities would be only towards their own children, and they would not have leadership responsibilities for other members of the group.
What Supports Are Available For Youth Theatres To Take Part?
- All meals, accommodation, and all activities are provided free of change on-site, ensuring that all participants have equal access to the experience regardless of their financial circumstances.
- Travel expenses for all participants and leaders will be covered.
- Bursaries will also be available for leaders to attend and support their members.
- Accommodation and lunch costs for the training event will be covered by Youth Theatre Ireland.
This project is made possible through the very generous support of the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal grant from Community Foundation Ireland.
RTÉ Toy Show Appeal: Impact Report
Young lives in every county are being transformed everyday thanks to the continuing generous response of viewers to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal. It is a remarkable tribute to the magic of The Late Late Toy Show that this generosity continues even against the backdrop of a cost of-living crisis.