The Dabble Vision
Making Work Experience Work: Co-Creating Opportunities in the Creative Industries
Meaningful work experience plays a vital role in preparing young people for the challenges of the professional world. However, only 32% of students aged 16-18 have access to meaningful work experience opportunities, according to the Youth Voice Census 2023. This statistic highlights a significant gap in access, rooted in socio-economic disparities, school resources, geographic limitations, and inadequate guidance. Addressing these issues is essential to ensuring equal opportunities for all young people to develop crucial work skills.
Over the past several months, I’ve been collaborating with the team at Adventures and Wisdom Institute on their groundbreaking project, Making Work Experience Work. Funded by Arts Council England, this initiative focuses on co-creating new tools to open up workplace opportunities in the creative industries for everyone.
Vision Mapping with Adventure and Wisdom Institute’s Youth Advisory Board at Newhaven’s Marine Workshop, East Sussex College Group.
A Collaborative Approach
As part of the project, I facilitated a series of workshops with young people to capture their visions and ideas. These graphic facilitation workshops provided a platform for young minds to share their perspectives and contribute to reimagining how work experience in the creative industries could be structured. Through this collaborative process, we’ve laid the groundwork for a project that has the potential to redefine access to opportunities in the sector.
Turning Ideas into Visual Tools
Following the workshops, I transformed the ideas and discussions into an animated infographic and a series of GIFs. These visual tools serve as key design elements in new digital platform - ‘DABBBLE’ - aimed at helping young people navigate and access opportunities within the creative industries. By translating their voices into engaging, accessible visuals, we hope to inspire action and garner regional and national interest from creative industries and decision-makers within education, skills-development and the world of work.
The DABBBLE Vision by Esther Springett
A Shared Vision for Change
This project is about more than just creating tools—it’s about addressing systemic barriers and fostering a culture of inclusion and opportunity. It’s a privilege to be involved in the early stages of such an impactful initiative, one that has the potential to empower young people and create lasting change within the creative industries.
Here’s what a project lead and AWI Director had to say about my involvement:
“Esther was great to work with as a graphic facilitator/live illustrator on a project involving young people and work experience. She really understood the brief and was flexible, enthusiastically engaged, and really collaborative. Her appreciation of the needs of young people, particularly those with complex needs, made her a perfect fit. I recommend her without hesitation and hope we get to collaborate again soon.”
James Byford - Founder/Director at Adventures and Wisdom Institute Eastbourne
The Importance of Access and Inclusion
By addressing the challenges highlighted in the Youth Voice Census and working directly with young people, we’re not just creating tools - we’re building pathways. It’s crucial to ensure that all young people, regardless of their background, have access to meaningful experiences that help them thrive in their careers.
If you’re as passionate about creating equal opportunities for young people as we are, stay tuned for updates on this exciting project.
Have an event coming up in 2025 and want to facilitate meaningful conversation and capture it visually? Contact me if you’d like to explore live illustration or a bespoke workshop. I’m available for in-person and online events.
