We provide young people and children, from all backgrounds, with a platform to contribute to their city through creative and aspirational learning experiences.
We are passionate about this, and especially working with young people and children from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds who often don’t have the same access to creative activities as their peers.
It is vital that they do have this access, to help diversify the world of architecture, and so that our future cities reflect the people they are designed for.
We promote, the importance of learning through creativity working with schools and our industry partners, the importance of and need for creative subjects at GCSE and A level for built environment and creative career pathways.
Urban Learners design, develop and deliver bespoke architecture, art and design learning and outreach programmes for young people and communities on behalf of educators, cultural spaces, places, the built environment and creative industries.
WE MAKE, DESIGN, DEVELOP and DELIVER: Creative Workshops + Architectural Programmes + STEAM Learning Activities + Learning through Exploring + Cultural Events + Design Research + Urban Activities + Learning from Architecture + Volunteer Training + Learning through Making + Collaborative Partnerships.
If you would like to speak with us about your learning programmes or design workshops, please contact us: info@urbanlearners.org
PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES
The Mela cultural festival is a vibrant celebration of Bengali arts, culture and heritage in Aldgate Square, Urban Learners created the education in the community element of the event for SitC.
THE GRIMSHAW FOUNDATION
‘Building creative futures worldwide through education and innovation’. Urban Learners are the education outreach programme creators for the Grimshaw Foundation
Sculpture in the City offers exciting opportunities for young people to engage with the City of London and public art and architecture. Public spaces are activated enriching the cultural offer of the area for the Sculpture in the City (SitC) programme.
A design and participatory project in collaboration with Urban Electrics ‘configuringlight’ part of the LSE, for Acland Burghley a Camden Secondary School that aims to improve the quality of both its inside and outside spaces.
A variety of activities, with different artistic sensibilities, were devised and developed exploring the London Festival of Architecture’s theme of ‘identity’ through history, urban
grain, scale, sculpture and the ever-changing skyline of the City of London for the Sculpture in the City (SitC) programme.
BESPOKE EDUCATION PROGRAMME
We created and implemented the Education Programme for the Camden Highline working with Camden Town Unlimited. The education programme gave Camden’s Young People the opportunity to participate on a local live project.
We work with educators to improve access to creative subjects at state schools.
This results directly in more young people entering creative career pathways, and especially those from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds.
We created and ran a major public summer arts festival curating several artists, architects and designers (Archivate Collective, Scale Rule and Tatty Devine), to provide fun learning activities for children for the Sculpture in the City (SitC) programme.
Part of our Celebrating Architecture initiative centred around the significant connections between several Brutalist and post-war architecture London housing estates, and rapidly growing British underground music sub cultures of UK grime and rap.
‘Barz and Brutalism’ is based on George Whale’s university thesis photo-zine
/ FAMILY AUDIO TRAIL
We co created the SITC ‘Family Trail’ created as an Audio journey through the City, for the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg Connects App. Narrated by Martha Howe-Douglas of Horrible Histories
/ DRUMMOND STREET PLACE AND IDENTITY
We designed a series of educational workshops to explore and map memories and places, for the re design of a lighting installation, on behalf of the Euston Town Partnership.
Focuses on co design of place as part of regeneration programmes to create ‘Better Futures‘. Empowering communities to contribute to the shaping of their place.
Celebrating Architecture is a creative and aspirational learning initiative, supported by The Architecture Foundation, Royal College of Art and the Mayor of London
As part of our Celebrating Architecture Initiative, and ‘Learning from Architecture’ with Open City, we developed several FREE creative activities for children and young people.