Seeing is Believing
Stories of opportunity and joy from Chance to See grant recipients
Curious Minds distribute grants from the Chance to See Fund through local arts organisations and targeted youth services, providing direct support to the young people and families who need it most.
Every child deserves access to creative opportunities, regardless of their background or circumstances. The Chance to See Fund is already supporting many young people in Wigan and Leigh as they pursue their passions and talents.
We’re proud to share some of their stories here; shining a light on what’s possible when creativity is made accessible to all.
How Chance to See is making dreams come true for young individuals
Grants of up to £500 are available for young people (aged between 11 and 18) who have a creative ambition or idea but need a helping hand to make it reality. We work with three referral partners in Wigan Borough - Wigan Youth Zone, Leigh Youth Hub and Wigan Council's targetted youth services - who support suitable young people to make their request.
Here are some recent examples of how the Chance to See Fund is supporting young people in Wigan and Leigh as they pursue their passions and talents.
J's Invisible Drum Kit
J had tried the drum kit at Leigh Youth Hub and felt he had a talent he'd like to develop. He'd been interested in learning to play since going to a concert with his family, wanting to become good enough to join a band and inspire others along the way.
J's award from the Chance to See Fund paid for him to buy an invisible drum kit to practice on and for 2 months of weekly drumming lessons with a local tutor. The lessons cemented his joy of the instrument and he's now playing with 2 bands! He told us he feels more confident from the experience and has a better sense of his own creative flair and originality.
A keyboard for G
G was a member of a choir and was playing piano in a band when he applied to the Chance To See Fund. However, with no access to an instrument to practice on away from college, and as a looked-after young person, he was worried that he wouldn’t reach the level of expertise needed to gain a place to study music at University. A grant from Chance to See meant that he could buy a Roland Go piano, stand, headphones and pedal.
How Chance to See makes a difference through local charities and groups
The Chance to See Fund offers grants of up to £2,000 for charities, groups and clubs, non-profits, and Community Interest Companies (CICs) in Wigan Borough, to support creative activities with children and young people.
Here are some recent examples of where our grant awards have been used to spark creativity and joy:
Leigh Young Writers
Leigh Young Writers are a group of young people aged between 13 and 19 years old. Every young person has a diagnosis of autism, ADHD or anxiety.
Healthy Arts applied for Chance to See funding for Young Writers group, allowing them to invite professional writers, artists and creatives who have lived experience of these challenges to lead workshops with them.
By the end of the project the Young Writers had met new poets and illustrators but also for, the first time, met writers specialising in a variety of disciplines. They experienced writing in new forms including script-writing, writing for You Tube and podcasts, short story writing, and writing lyrics. They also visited Factory International, to see Hamlet Hail to the Thief, following a workshop on spoken word.
Everything Human Rights
Everything Human Rights runs a youth group for young people aged between 9 to 16 years from diverse backgrounds, who are from communities experiencing racial inequalities in Wigan Borough.
Their Chance to See grant project has expanded the variety of creative opportunities available to children and young people from an African heritage - offering Afrobeats/Afrofusion Dance Workshops led by dance instructors who can relate to them through their shared lived experience.
The dance instructors listen to the same music genre, follow the same TikTok afrobeats/amapiano dance challenges as the young people and can also culturally relate to the young people's parents. Being able to relate to the young people and their parents is so vital to the young peoples' participation.
Curious to know more?
The Chance to See Fund is already making a difference for many young people in Wigan and Leigh and will continue to allocate grant awards, in line with our published funding cycles, for as long as funds are available.
Perhaps you know a young person or community group that would benefit from funding and want to know how to apply. Or maybe you want to help us make the Fund reach more young lives by making a donation.
Find out how at the link below:
More about the Chance to See Fund
Alternatively, you can email us or get in touch using the contact details below.
