Young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are under-represented in the creative world of work. Just 12% of people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds work in the creative industries, despite representing 44% of the UK population.

When we started, we saw the barriers many faced in pursuing a fulfilling career in the creative industries — and the talent that the creative industries were missing out on.

Today, Creative Mentor Network has expanded and has helped over 1500 young people, matching them with trained mentors to support their creative careers.

We are fundraising to help keep our programmes free and accessible for our mentees, helping cover their expenses, running workshops, and providing more opportunities to help them get into and thrive in creative careers.