People, Place, Practice: How Culture Can Build Belonging
/Read time: 5 mins
Toby Ealden, Zest’s Artistic Director & CEO, reflects on what this summer’s work in public space taught us — and why belonging feels more urgent than ever.
TL;DR
This summer taught us that belonging isn’t abstract: you can see it, feel it and measure it when young people shape the tone of a space.
In town squares, festivals, and market days, The Zone and Sound Board demonstrated how a strong hook, a genuine welcome, and a youth-led culture can transform confidence and connection.
As Zest turns 18, we’re sharing what our 2025 season revealed, and how these methods can help other places build stronger community.
Young people chill at The zone in Mansfield Market Place
Zest turned 18 last week. Milestones like this give you a moment to pause, to take stock of the journey so far and to look more clearly at where you’re heading next. And as we reflect on our 2025 summer season, that clarity feels sharper than ever.
Because Britain has a crisis of connection. Public services have been stripped back, youth centres have closed, and the places that once held communities together are disappearing. When connection thins, something else fills the gap: isolation, anxiety and, too often, division. This is the backdrop young people are navigating every day.
And yet, in high streets, parks, festivals, events and market days this summer, we saw the opposite play out. We saw what happens when you put something vibrant, welcoming and human into public space and say, “This is for you.” Young people lingered. They returned. They brought friends. They made friends. They shaped the atmosphere around them to create their own community.
At Zest this summer, space became a verb. It became something we made deliberately and collaboratively, with young people shaping the experience every step of the way.
Rob Green Hosts Sound Board LincolN
Making space
In The Zone, making space meant creating a physical place: bright, bold and instantly recognisable. PS5s loaded with FIFA, table tennis, crafts, inflatable structures and relaxed seating, all designed to capture attention within seconds. Those first moments matter, they are the hook.
When we talk about a “hook”, we don’t mean a marketing tactic. We mean the full sensory first impression: the look, sound, and feel of the space, as well as the activities you can pick up instantly. It’s that moment when something catches your attention in the same way a great hook in a song does: instinctive, immediate and impossible to ignore.
In a world of constant scrolling, cautious curiosity and social anxiety, you have seconds to engage young people. They decide quickly: “Does this feel for me? Do I feel okay here? Do I want to stay?”
And crucially, they did stay. Because once inside The Zone, the hook led to depth. They’re then wrapped in a sense of safety that comes from our teams: every Youth Arts Worker, Performer, Visiting Artist, Stage Manager and Technician who shapes the experience with care and confidence.
This summer, young people at The Zone turned their hand to creativity, with 36% engaging in arts and culture for the first time. They came back too. In Lincoln, visits rose from 927 in 2024 to 2,096 in 2025, and across the full Zone tour, we welcomed 3,326 visits.
In Sound Board, making space meant creating a moment: a 45-minute pocket inside a festival, event or market day where the world slows just enough for honest conversation. The inviting pre-show music, the glittering set that sparks curiosity before anything begins, the tactile headphones that make people want to join in. These are the hooks. But the depth comes from the environment held by our team and local Youth Hosts. Once the show begins, audiences are included and heard in a space where playfulness and meaning coexist, and deeper conversations emerge naturally.
Across both strands, we saw the same flow:
a strong hook 👉 a genuine welcome 👉 a sense of emotional safety 👉 community 👉 belonging.
THE Zone in Newark Market Place
Proximity matters
Proximity is one of the biggest reasons we work in public spaces. When something appears in the places young people already spend time, the barrier to engagement drops instantly. There’s no venue threshold, no travel, no ticket, no formality. You can simply walk over, take a look and join in.
For The Zone, we added another layer: familiarity. In the lead-up to summer, our team delivered school assemblies and met thousands of young people face-to-face. We showed the trailer, shared photos, answered questions and handed out flyers so they knew what was coming and that it was for them. So when The Zone appeared in the town centre, there was already a spark of trust: “I know that person. This is for me.” Proximity opened the door; familiarity made the first step easier.
Friction-free entry
Where possible, we remove barriers to entry. For The Zone, sign-ups are necessary but fast, flexible and accessible in multiple ways. For Sound Board, you can simply turn up and join in. Friction can be the enemy of confidence. Every barrier chips away at those vital first seconds, so smoothing them matters.
Sound Board Youth Hosts and Audiences in the sun in Lincoln
Culture grows when young people shape it
Zone Ambassadors, returning regulars and Sound Board Youth Hosts didn’t just take part. They led. Young people leading leads to more young people joining, which leads to more young people leading. Representation builds momentum, and community grows from within.
Belonging can be measured
This summer we saw longer dwell times, repeat visits and real increases in self-reported wellbeing, particularly cheerfulness and confidence. Young people referred friends, brought siblings and returned again and again. These are lived indicators of belonging taking root.
Why it matters now
Social media sells us constant “connection” but rarely delivers it. Public spaces often feel transactional. Unless you’re buying something, you can’t stay. Young people are too often treated as a nuisance and moved on. When you put artists in public spaces and public services with intention, care and permission, young people realise they’re allowed to exist. They feel seen and heard. They’re celebrated. And when they’re allowed to exist fully, they thrive. People soften. They listen. They take the lead. They surprise themselves. They realise they matter.
What’s next
As we step into our nineteenth year, we’re ready to bring this work into new places. In 2026, The Zone and Sound Board are available for booking across towns, festivals and public spaces. Alongside them, we’re developing a smaller, more agile version of The Zone designed for rural, coastal and isolated communities where infrastructure is limited. More on that soon.
If you’re imagining what youth voice, creativity and community could look like in your place, we’re ready to talk.
