Waveland: Creative School Workshops
Creative workshop series funded by Waltham Forest Council
Role: Creative Director, Workshop Lead,
Format: Community arts programme
Location: Waltham Forest
Year: 2025
Problem: Waltham Forest needed high-impact creative programmes that could empower local young people, raise aspirations, and strengthen community cohesion by giving students meaningful access to arts experiences not available in their usual curriculum.
Result: The programme delivered meaningful creative access to hundreds of students, improving confidence, communication, and aspiration across participating schools. It strengthened community cohesion, increased young people’s engagement with the arts, and advanced Waltham Forest’s mission to support youth voice and wellbeing. The success of these workshops now underpins the development of the larger Waveland 2026 festival and its new cycle of local creative activations.
Approach
LightWave partnered with Waveland to deliver a council-supported creative programme designed to meet Waltham Forest’s community goals: boosting youth confidence, improving creative access, and fostering belonging across local schools. The project formed part of our wider commitment to rebuilding the Waveland festival for 2026 and creating ongoing cultural touchpoints in the borough. We designed and delivered four workshops—rap writing, opera/orchestra, media presenting, and dream-building—each intentionally crafted to raise aspirations, develop communication skills, and expose young people to artforms they may never normally encounter. Our approach blended practical creativity with wellbeing-focused guidance, encouraging students to explore their identity, speak openly, collaborate, and imagine future possibilities. Throughout the programme, LightWave handled curriculum design, facilitation, and creative direction. We created safe, uplifting spaces where students could practice performance, storytelling, and public speaking, while also building confidence in their own ideas. The workshops delivered on the borough’s priorities of inclusion, empowerment, and long-term community engagement, and helped establish a foundation for Waveland’s broader year-round creative ecosystem— including upcoming monthly micro-events in Leyton.
