Organised by A New Direction
I Am Festival is a unique virtual festival showcasing the creative talents of D/deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse young people. It is delivered by A New Direction, in collaboration with our SEND Network of educators working in schools and specialist settings across London.
Over the past five years, the festival has provided a platform for hundreds of young people to showcase their talents, leadership, ideas and opinions. This year we celebrate the theme of Love, with a week of premieres, performances, live events and creative activities you can take part in at school or at home.
We invite you to join us in exploring every aspect of Love, from 'family' to 'fandom'. The festival will be a collective expression of love, and what it means to the young people involved.
Find out more and get involved
This welcome and preview event is an opportunity for educators, creative partners and colleagues working across the cultural and creative sectors to find out more about this work and learn more about the process of taking the festival online.
The briefing will include:
A guide to the week – what to look out for and how to get involved
Information on how the festival was co-created with our SEND Network and Festival Assistants undertaking work experience with my AFK
Opportunities to join training sessions and live streamed sessions that are only available to a limited number of participants
Information about how to get involved with our SEND Network and future iterations of the I Am Festival
The festival briefing will take place from 9:30am, and will be followed by a live ambient guitar performance by Chris Mackin from Ickburg School, who will take us on a guitar journey in space to the planet L.U.V.
After the performance, there will be an opportunity to continue the conversation and ask questions about this work.