Zest Wrapped 2024
/Zest’s 2024 Wrapped is here.
This year, Zest hit all the right notes: epic partnerships, bold new artworks, youth-led brilliance, strategy in action, and unforgettable moments on the road. We launched innovative pop-up youth arts spaces with The Zone, and made our mark in new locations and beyond to reach a massive 401,000 people!
Ready to relive the highlights? Let’s dive into Zest Wrapped 2024.
★★★★ “Essential” - The Guardian
After 4 years without a touring show (thanks, COVID), Zest returned with a bang! Camp Phoenix—a brand-new show packed with adventure, new music, and vital life lessons. Developed through conversations with 650 young people, the show explored what advice teenagers wish they'd had as kids. Nine-year-olds shared their worries, and those aged 16+ offered their wisdom, which became the show's heart. The tour hit 5 venues, with 83 young people performing alongside professional actors! And, 2025? New show, big things ahead!
An installation unleashing the words of young people in public spaces
Refresh is all about creating space for young voices and bringing their words straight to the heart of the community. This year, we took vibrant, thought-provoking artwork featuring young people’s inspiring words to Medway and Darlington, reaching hundreds of thousands. From everyday life to big ideas on mental health and equality, their voices are now on shop windows, huge walls, and school fences, sparking conversation and bringing colour to the places they call home. And there's more to come—look out for a new touring Refresh installation across South & East Lincolnshire in January!
A brand new pop-up youth space for 11-18 year olds
This summer, The Zone became the ultimate destination for 11-18-year-olds in Lincoln—a vibrant, brand-new youth space filled with creativity, chill vibes, and the freedom to truly be themselves. The Zone toured the city with a dynamic team of local youth arts workers and a stellar lineup of visiting artists, offering young people a welcoming environment to hang out, create, and connect. The result? 927 visits over the summer! The Zone is returning to Lincoln in Summer 2025, PLUS we’re taking this pop-up youth space on the road to reach more locations across the country! Stay tuned—The Zone is on the move!
New Team Mate
Meet Adam Perkins, our Particpation Coordinator
In July, just a week before The Zone opened, we welcomed Adam to the team! Anyone who joined The Zone, our Refresh projects, or worked with Future Proof this year will know Adam’s name—and they’ve definitely felt his warmth, generosity, and incredible ability to make young people feel seen, heard, and celebrated. Adam was the heart of The Zone this summer, leading the team with ease and skill to create an unforgettable space for Lincoln’s young people. His plans for The Zone in 2025 are set to take things to new heights. Get ready for an even bigger impact next year!
Zest’s Youth Advisory Board
Future Proof is Zest’s ultimate headliner, year after year. Made up of 25 young people—alumni of previous Zest projects—this powerhouse group represents diverse voices from across the country. Meeting monthly as paid consultants, they ensure Zest remains in tune with the needs of young people everywhere. This year, their impact has been huge. They’ve shared powerful insights, including local experiences of the summer riots, helping us better understand and respond to their communities' challenges. They’ve also taken the lead on some of our biggest decisions—interviewing new staff, signing off designs for The Zone, shaping future programming, and sparking fresh ideas for new shows.
And, of course, they’ve kept us laughing with their trademark honesty (and the occasional roast of our Artistic Director & CEO, Toby).
2025 is shaping up to be even bigger for Future Proof. In January, we’ll announce exciting new opportunities for youth leadership across Zest (including the people in this picture), and a major Future Proof-led project is set to influence Health and Arts policy nationwide.
