A DIVERSE cross section of youngsters from across North Yorkshire took part in a scheme to celebrate artistic talent.

The 1Community Project was set up by Connecting Youth Culture (CYC), with North Yorkshire County Council’s North Yorkshire Education Services and funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan.

The scheme worked with groups across the county, including Travellers, refugees, young carers, LGBT young people and victims and perpetrators of hate crime to create art that gives voice to their diversity and identities, with their results to be shown in an exhibition later this year.

County Councillor Janet Sanderson said: “This project brings together young people to celebrate their different cultures and individual identities.

"Through their own creativity they are producing art that challenges stigma and stereotypes and explores the effects of prejudicial attitudes and actions.”

Julia Mulligan said: “Over 100 young people have been proactively engaged with this project across seven different areas of North Yorkshire.

"It has also created lasting partnerships in some of the most deprived areas of the county and with some of the most isolated groups of young people.

"I am proud to be able to support it.”

The projects included Reflections by Syrian refugees in Northallerton, who designed and created clay tiles to create art that reflected on their culture and lives in Syria as well as their new lives in the UK, Made With Pride which brought together LGBTQ young people from around the county over six weeks to design, develop and create art that celebrated their identities and the LGBTQ community, which was displayed at Harrogate Pride.

Other groups included work by young Travellers from Seamer and groups from Scarborough working on a 12-week art programme.