In October 2022 the National Saturday Club Youth Board met for the first time to discuss the aims and visions for the future of the National Saturday Club. Members shared their thoughts on a variety of important subjects including the Board members’ ability to share experiences that resonate with young people and the importance of elevating the voices of black, asian and minority ethnic individuals and communities.

The Board will meet quarterly, with members coming together to reflect and advise on the National Saturday Club’s activities and objectives, ensuring that the Trust’s governance and future planning is informed by the young people it serves.

I was introduced to the National Saturday Club through my school. I instantly began to enjoy the meetings we would have on Microsoft Teams. Although we weren’t able to meet on the campus of Staffordshire University, due to the pandemic, it was an experience to remember! I had the opportunity to learn so much about science and engineering, to try out new things and meet new people. I also learned a lot about university in general and what kind of experience that would be, which encouraged me to want to apply to university to study law when the time comes. I have just completed my GCSEs and will be attending sixth-form college.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

My experience as a member of a Saturday Club was so exhilarating. I wanted to join the Youth Board because I believe the world can often underestimate young people. I believe every voice should be heard, no matter what their age. I would like to improve the world for the sake of young people and improve their experiences. I would be honored to give back to the National Saturday Club so that others can benefit from it in the same way that I did.

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I joined my local Art&Design Club first, then transferred to Fashion&Business. I finished the programme three years ago. I went on to take a fashion course at Shrewsbury College and I’ve just got a place at Nottingham Trent University to study Fashion Knitwear Design. I’ve suffered from anxiety and ADHD my whole life, and this forced me to drop out of school in Year 7. Being home-schooled was the best thing for my mental health at the time, but it was incredibly lonely. I’m a very creative and curious person, and the boost of confidence I got from attending a Saturday Club was life changing. I had no hope or desire to attend university before, yet I left with these big ambitions.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

I consider myself a success story of National Saturday Club. To be given the chance to help other people like me discover their passions is so rewarding. I want to use my place on the Youth Board to give back to future members of the Club what it gave me.

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I was in the Cornwall College Art&Design Club for four years. Now I’m 16, I can’t be a member anymore, so I’m volunteering at the Club to help the tutor run sessions. I’m planning to go on to my local sixth-form college to study further maths, maybe computer science and product design. I come from a military family and am a carer for my parents. I suffer from anxiety but really enjoy being creative and experimenting with others. I loved every moment of attending my Saturday Club, which helped me in so many ways.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

I will greatly miss being a Club member and wanted to remain part of the National Saturday Club. I also think it’s important that everyone’s voice is heard, especially those from minorities and those who can speak from experience. I’m a very chatty person and so I can easily talk to people and find out their opinions about the Club – what they like and don’t like. It’s important that everyone has an equal voice and should be able to express their opinion, in a polite and respectful way, whether you agree with it or not. Being on the Youth Board will be amazing for me, as I love talking about topics that many people may find uncomfortable.

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I had a very positive experience with the Saturday Club, the mediums of art we explored, and projects collaborated on with other groups gave us an incredibly diverse experience. I remember it as being a time of both creative and social growth for me; it was my first experience with mediums such as clay and lino printing and I felt I had a chance to experiment without getting it “wrong”. The Club gave me the chance to build bonds with other people who were also interested in art. It was inspiring to see what other people were doing with the project that week and gave me the confidence to share my own work.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

I wanted to join the Youth Board as the Saturday Club had such an impact in the direction my life has taken. I want to be a voice for people like me who find going to groups like the Saturday Club a fresh start both socially and with the practical activities the Club provides.

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For the majority of my time in Saturday Club, we were in lockdown, therefore I lost the social aspect of the Club. However, the time I did spend with my Club was extremely positive and I enjoyed going into MMU every Saturday when we could. Our visit to London was inspiring. We went to the Tate Modern and I enjoyed being with a group of like-minded friends and my tutors.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

I applied to the Board to make it so that others have the same, if not better, experiences than I had. I would like to suggest more visits to galleries or art spaces to be able to fully immerse the Club members in the art they are studying.

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I really enjoyed the Saturday Club because I met so many new people, and I too learned different ways to express myself on paper that I wasn’t confident with before. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I developed a range of art styles I didn’t know I had.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

I wanted to be a member of the Youth Board to help share my ideas with people like me who want to be heard as well as allowing my views on activism, to allow more minorities to feel represented in however they wish to express it. I want everyone to have a right to express how they feel in our current climate and still provide a safe space for exploration, so helping the Youth Board would really allow me to portray that with others.

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I joined the Science&Engineering Club at Kingston last year. I’m an international student from the US. In the beginning, I regretted the move to the UK, but once I realised the advantages of being here, I was truly amazed. Joining a Saturday Club was a great experience, especially the interaction among our group. The tutors and assistants were incredible and really made the Club interesting. My future plan is to attend university and get Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in computer-science engineering. I love technology and I’m fascinated by how things work.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

Attending a Saturday Club made a big difference to me. I believe I’ve made real progress in social aspects and how I communicate, which will help me in future in a work situation where people may be from a different country. A lot of people at my school didn’t want to join the Saturday Club because they didn’t know what it would be like. They thought, ‘Oh, this is science and engineering. It’s going to be too much pressure or too much work.’ I want to show other people that it’s not like that. I would truly like to give back to the National Saturday Club, to stay connected and help future participants have the brilliant experience that I currently having.

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For me, the Saturday Club was a place where I could meet new people and learn to develop my skills in art. I love art and the meaning behind pieces, but I also love history, and I’m fascinated by the way they go hand in hand. I’ve learnt so much from the Club to nourish my thirst for knowledge on history and art.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

Being able to be in such a supportive and friendly environment gave me the chance to focus on my art, but it also opened the door to making new friends. Being in highschool, making friends is already hard, but at the Club, I got to meet people of different backgrounds. We were able to share parts of our cultures, and come together to indulge in art.

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My experience with the Saturday Club improved me in many ways and I have taken many life changing skills from it. The National Saturday Club is incredible on many scales as you can create something amazing that you can be proud of. For example, I was given the opportunity to create my own short film. For me this is a major accomplishment I could never forget and I am extremely grateful to the Saturday Club team for this opportunity.

Why did you want to join the Youth Board?

I wanted to join the National Saturday Club Youth Board as I was able to explore different life stories and I was able to learn about these amazing stories which encouraged me to tell my own story, even if it was just the beginning. So I want future Saturday Club members to feel the same and find the confidence that I found, to tell their story and share their experiences. I would like to make the Saturday Club an even better experience for everyone that joins, as well as this I would like to encourage more young people to join. 

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