What We Do

 

Compass Collective assists young refugees and young people seeking asylum to build resilience and integrate into the UK through theatre, music and film projects and arts-led professional development programmes.  

 The aim of our work is to strengthen communities, build resilience and help people seeking sanctuary integrate into the UK.

We support approximately 500 young people aged 14-26 from over 28 locations in the UK. The majority are at their initial stage of immigration. 70% are unaccompanied minors.

We connect organisations and work in partnerships, collaborating with charities like the British Red Cross and arts organisations such as Shakespeare’s Globe to offer a platform for cultural sharing and celebration.

 

  • Workshops

    We host workshops to foster social connections and develop skills like confidence, communication, and trust in a safe environment. Through these sessions, we empower young people, equipping them with transferable skills for their personal growth. Our experienced theater and music facilitators lead high-quality workshops, inspiring participants to realize their potential and become leaders for future generations

  • English Connect Classes

    The 'Compass Connect' programme provides online creative English classes and a supportive connected community to young refugees and asylum seekers from all over the UK. We run a weekly online ‘Beginners’ class and an ‘Improvers’ and ‘Empowered’ class.

    Both classes utilise games, drama, and creative writing to enable the young people to build their confidence with the English language and feel more confident to express themselves.

  • Programmes

    We develop theatre, music and film projects with groups of young people. They experience a professional rehearsal, and performance/recording process.

    The participants learn to access and use their authentic voice and are given the opportunity to be creative in a safe, welcoming and empowering space. The work is always created by and led by the individuals we work with.

Impact

The benefits experienced by our young people extend far beyond the lifetime of our projects and will have a lasting impact on their futures. Research has found that projects in the area of art and culture can help increase confidence to articulate experiences and express our feelings. It also provides a greater sense of dignity and humanity. We aim to alter perceptions and invite audiences to engage positively with our young people in a way that has not been seen or done before.

Outcomes for our participants include:

 

“Compass Collective created such a welcoming space that even those young people who were shy at first ended up jumping in the middle of the circle by the end of the evening. ”

— Anne, British Red Cross Volunteer.