I Am Festival 2024 – Save the date

30 October 2023

We're excited to mark our ninth year and the return of bringing young people together as we deliver the festival in person.

I Am Festival is our yearly celebration empowering Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent young people to explore their creativity. Over the past eight years, the festival has provided a platform for hundreds of young people to showcase their talents, leadership, ideas and opinions.

This year’s festival will be taking place from 11 - 15 March 2024 in venues across London exploring the theme ‘See Me! Hear Me!’

We have a number of exciting events taking place during the festival week including:

• An event curated and delivered by our brilliant Cultural Ambassadors.
• Tuesday 12 March: How to recruit and support a Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creative workforce – a workshop for professionals working in the cultural sector led by Access All Areas.
• Thursday 14 March: Creative Communication techniques for the classroom – a CPD for teachers who want to better elevate the voices of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent students.
• Thursday 14 March: Sensory Storytelling Revamped – an interactive CPD for teachers working in SEND settings, sharing practical strategies for co-creating exciting & culturally relevant sensory experiences.
• Friday 15th March: Coney and Queensmill school will be leading a Top Secret Mission around Kensington Palace and exploring childhood games.
  Across London at the National Theatre, Graeae will be exploring ideas around elevation with students from SEND schools and Robin Smith from ActionSpace will be leading a DrawAlong.
• Three events taking place in Tate Modern, National Theatre and Kensington Palace for Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent children and young people.

Contact Beth Robertson (beth.robertson@anewdirection.org.uk) if you are working in an SEND setting and would like to find out more.

As part of the festival, we have also commissioned three fantastic organisations, BLINK Dance Theatre, Graeae Theatre Company and Coney who have been working with three schools from our I Am network to deliver exciting projects with their students.

Check out this blog written by Lynne Brackley to find out more about the co-planning session we delivered in November. We are also funding four projects led by schools in our I Am network exploring the festival theme and connecting their students with their local community.

In addition, we will be relaunching our online platform during the festival week to showcase the amazing work that’s taking place and suggest ideas for activities that you can do at home or in school.

Explore I Am Festival 2024

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. 

Find out more