Who we are
NICOLA “New International Company of Live Arts” is a not-for-profit organisation that provides opportunities for inner city young people. By actively encouraging the youth to get involved in creative activities and stimulating their development and interests in the arts, they ultimately develop useful skills whilst gaining cultural and social awareness.
Statistics:
- Established 2008
- 2500 young people have interacted with NICOLA since its launch
- 1200 people have seen our performances
- 50 hours of video content generated
- 8 sponsors to date including YMCA and the British Council
- 15 in-kind sponsors including Metrobank and Earls Court Exhibition Centre
- 7 large projects completed to date
- 1 full time volunteer and 6 part time
- 5,000 + web visits
Our Vision
Our vision is to train and develop young people in performance and visual art, improving them as people and providing them with the skills and confidence to start careers in arts related employment as performers, joining existing arts organisations or to run their own business or Social Enterprise
What we do
We create meaningful change in young peoples lives by providing a combination of auditions, events, talent exchanges, mentoring sessions and professional workshops for young people to engage in.
Our projects have the wider capacity to tackle social issues affecting young people, these include…
• Community cohesion
• Child poverty
• Youth crime and gang culture
• Social exclusion
• Deprivation
We focus on those aged 13 – 25 who do not have easy access to professional training although our philosophy is to be inclusive for all. We are dedicated to providing mentoring that will allow young artists to overcome confidence issues, improve their overall life skills and build a winning mentality by creating a strong appreciation of the arts.
Producing quality events that showcase our young people with the aim of improving their prospects to become part of the professional industry is the foundation of what we do.
In 2009 we created the Talent Factory, a concept born to provide opportunities for young people to perform live in front of audiences. Behind this lies an emphasis on working collaboratively and using professionals to improve core skills. We actively promote racial equality and teach our young people to respect different cultures. Our various projects facilitate talent exchanges nationally and internationally.
In the course of our work we have built an extensive database of artists who are available for short and long-term work assignments as instructors in their respective art forms. We supply instructors to schools, youth clubs and other providers of extracurricular activities.