I Am

Empowering Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent children & young people to explore their creativity.

I Am is our disability arts and inclusion programme for Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent children and young people. The programme consists of our yearly I Am Festival, the Cultural Ambassadors, and the I Am Network.

About the I Am Network

A New Direction's I Am Network is a free professional development programme for educators working with Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent children and young people in London's schools and specialist settings. The Network meets twice a term over the academic year, working together to improve creative and cultural opportunities for children and young people who are Deaf,  disabled and neurodivergent. 

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I Am Festival is our yearly celebration empowering Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent children and young people to explore their creativity. Now in it's 10th year, the festival has provided a platform for hundreds of young people to showcase their talents, leadership, ideas and opinions.

  • How does the I Am Festival work?

    For many years, the I Am Festival took place at the Tate Exchange space in Tate Modern. However, the coronavirus pandemic meant we had to move the festival online. While this presented a whole new set of challenges around accessibility in digital spaces, many new opportunities also emerged, and we were able to explore how digital technology can be used to engage even more Deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse children and young people in creative projects.

    The 2022 festival took a hybrid approach, with activities taking place in schools, at our office and online. The schools were lucky enough to have workshops with companies such as Graeae Theatre Company, Corali Dance and Digit Music. This blended delivery model allowed us to engage many young people who may not have otherwise been able to take part in the physical event.

    Each festival has a theme. The theme in 2023 was Activism, our theme in 2024 was See Me, Hear Me!, and our theme for 2025 is Make Some Noise.

    This year’s festival will be taking place from 18 – 21 March 2025, delivered in partnership with Tate Modern, Young V&A and AFK. Over the week we will be exploring the theme ‘Make Some Noise’.

    If you’d like to find out more about I Am Festival, please get in contact with Chloe: chloe.randall@anewdirection.org.uk

I Am Festival 2025

Our annual celebration empowering Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent children & young people to explore their creativity.

Cultural Ambassadors

Weekly skills development programme for Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent young people.