CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023 23 Mar22259 Most Inspiring Children’s Mentoring Organisation CEO 2023 (UK): Dr Nick Owen MBE As a national charity providing creative youth services for the most unheard children and young people in society, The Mighty Creatives has been fighting for the voices of children and young people for more than 13 years. We find out more about the charity’s mission from Dr Nick Owen as he gains recognition in the Global CEO Excellence Awards 2023. Based in Leicester, The Mighty Creatives has reached over 250,000 children and young people (CYP) since 2018. Historically serving the east midlands and wider midlands region, the organisation is now expanding its services nationally to reach more CYP who need it the most. As a registered charity, The Mighty Creatives’ vision is to support young people in need using the power of the arts and creativity to effect positive individual and social change. Working in partnership with stakeholders from across all sectors in the region, the charity aims to contribute to improving young people’s mental health and wellbeing, cognitive abilities, educational attainment, and life chances in general. Following a period of restructuring, it is now focused on one specific programme which has a significant, demonstrable impact on the young people it works with: creative mentoring. “Our Creative Mentoring programme supports the development of children and young people in care, in need, or from vulnerable circumstances who are struggling to engage in education, at risk of exclusion, social isolation, or in need,” Dr Nick Owen, CEO of the charity explains. “When a child is disengaged, resistant to support, and professionals are struggling to improve the situation, the child is referred to us and we commission a Creative Mentor to work with that child on a one-to-one basis.” Creative Mentors are practicing artists and creative practitioners who are drawn from many creative and cultural industries including theatre practitioners, ceramicists, filmmakers, photographers, and visual artists. They build trusted relationships using creative practice to refocus efforts away from negative preconceptions of education, and to identify what the CYP needs to help them. Awarded an MBE for services to arts-based businesses in 2012, Nick is a creative producer, leader, and educator who is passionate about producing inspiring and engaging arts and cultural practice both nationally and internationally. Committed to producing and promoting inclusivity and diversity in the arts, Nick started work in the political and community theatre hot bed of Leeds in the early 1980s. He was then inspired by London’s Black Theatre scene by working with companies such as Black Theatre Co-op, Tara Arts Group, and Talawa Theatre Co, and continued to develop his community arts practice in Leeds and Liverpool, which culminated in him becoming the first Head of Community Arts at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts where he led the BA (Hons) programme in Community Arts, the first full time higher education certificate in performing arts for people who are disabled (Solid Foundations). Nick completed his PhD in creativity and learning at the University of Hull funded by a unique scholarship from Creative Partnerships and he is now CEO of one of the UK’s foremost national charities for children and young people, The Mighty Creatives. “As well as our significant regional and national work, I have been inspired by the international collaborations I have led and delivered with colleagues from across the world including India, Western and Eastern Europe, and South Africa, which have generated new employment, educational, and cultural opportunities for artists, teachers, and young people,” elaborates Nick. “We may have all come from vastly different backgrounds, but one thing has bound us all: the catalytic powers of culture, education, and enterprise which are at the heart of personal and social regeneration and which have driven my own personal career choices for over 30 years.” In his leadership role, Nick is absolute in his belief that a good business plan should be something that everyone should be able to refer to so that they can see where they are on the organisational journey; understand the challenges and opportunities the organisation faces; and be transparent about how the organisation intends to make that journey and what values it holds close to its heart. “Ideally, it should be encapsulated in no more than one page: and we’ve found that poetry is an ideal way of communicating that vision and mission,” he enthuses. “A 100page plan is great to read on long winter nights, but a poem will encapsulate the energy, emotion, and inspiration of your vision far better than spreadsheets and infographics.” Recently, for his dedication and commitment to the industry, Nick gained recognition in the Global CEO Excellence Awards 2023 and was named Most Inspiring Children’s Mentoring Organisation CEO 2023 (UK). Now, as he looks to the future, he can see an opportunity for The Mighty Creatives to build on what it has achieved to date and develop a National Centre for Creative Mentoring. “Whilst I’m not at the start of my career, I’m not at the end of it either, and I feel I still have the energy and desire for my next major challenge which brings together everything I’ve learned,” Nick states. “We are now constantly on the lookout for potential allies, stakeholders, influencers, and other human catalysts who can help bring our future vision to fruition.” Contact Details Contact: Dr. Nick Owen MBE Company: The Mighty Creatives Web Address: www. themightycreatives.com Jun23621
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