Element was a charity that operated for 8 years from 2016 - 2024. Our mission was to produce projects where young people could develop their creative identities and be recognised as individuals with purpose and potential.
Over the eight years we were operational, we worked with 1062 young people across London: in schools, in youth work settings, and in arts spaces. Art and creativity are powerful tools that are too often undervalued. Element was established because the process of creating art - and doing so as part of a community - is essential to processing difficult emotions, getting in touch with self-expression and experimentation, and forming robust, affirmative and positive senses of identity.
Our values
We believe in finding your element
Success is often measured in material things or status. We think success is broader than that. It’s about feeling confident in yourself, finding your unique purpose and applying it in your everyday life. We think this can be distilled as being in your element, and appreciating all the unique elements that make up each one of us.
We work with artists
No one group should have a monopoly over creativity: everyone is an artist, and creativity has many forms. Unlocking different ways of being creative not only increases self-confidence, but can also help to fine-tune an individuals’ purpose and passion. We know that young people have incredible reserves of creativity, that society should sit up and listen to.
We are collaborative
We collaborate with arts and youth organisations, artistic practitioners, social care teams and charities. We think that the potential for multi-agency working is huge; and that when staff and organisations creatively join forces it can maximise opportunities for young people.
We are open-minded
Our approach is one of flexibility: we design and develop our projects to fit intuitively with different teams and groups. We have an open approach to feedback and know that many minds are better than one.
We prioritise emotional wellbeing
It is our view that emotional stability is the foundation from which to build long-lasting success in all areas of life. Often, mandatory support for care experienced young people focuses on practical skills – and although these are incredibly important, their effect will not be felt if not paired holistically with emotional wellbeing support.
