By working in partnership with other organisations and applying for professional commissions we are able to provide our young people with powerful tools for skill-building and confidence development.
We deliver various projects and commissions that allow our young people to gain real-life work experience, access mentorship from industry professionals, and work collaboratively within a team. Not only do they gain creative and technical skills but also vital soft skills like teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. By nurturing both creative and transferable skills, these projects empower young people to shape their journeys, feel confident in their capabilities, and become equipped to own their future in a variety of professional contexts.
Auchterarder Underpass: Youth Led Mural
A once-overlooked underpass in Auchterarder was transformed into a vibrant public artwork through an ambitious youth-led creative project that put local young people at the heart of positive community change.
The project was commissioned by Auchterarder Community Sports & Recreation (ACSR) in partnership with Amey. Delivery was led by Creative Catalyst, with renowned mural artists Fraser Gray and Martin McGuinness working alongside local young people to develop and realise the final design.
The underpass has long been associated with anti-social behaviour and has often been viewed as an unwelcoming space. Through a co-creative process, young people have reimagined the site as a vibrant and welcoming gateway that reflects local identity, creativity and community pride.
Creative Catalyst worked closely with Perth & Kinross Council Services for Young People and Families and Logos Youth Project, whose trusted relationships with local young people were instrumental in supporting participation, engagement and commitment throughout the project. The core design team was led by young people from the Champions’ Board at The Community School of Auchterarder. By working closely with the artists and youth workers they creatively explored how to express their youth voice visually. They identified the two long parallel walls as an opportunity to visualise the concept of a mirror world — a parallel reality — the bright colourful side is inverted and mirrored on the darker, opposite side. The concept invites the viewer to think about what might be going on below the surface for our young people as they navigate a world built by and for adults. The colours gently transition from one end to the other serving as a background to a giant reclining figure; the figure is so large that it is impossible to see it all in one view. It is not until the viewer is out the other end of the underpass that they are able to fully reflect on the artwork and experience; much like the often-challenging transition from childhood to adulthood.
More than simply creating a mural, the project has provided young people with a meaningful opportunity to shape their environment, develop new skills and make a lasting contribution to their community. Participants have played an active role throughout the project, building confidence, leadership skills, teamwork and creative expertise while taking ownership of a highly visible public space.
The initiative demonstrates the positive impact that can be achieved when young people are trusted, supported and empowered to lead change. By creating a space shaped by youth voices and ideas, the project aims to foster stronger community connections, improve perceptions of young people and help make the area feel safer and more welcoming for everyone.
The mural has been made possible thanks to funding from The Gannochy Trust, National Lottery Awards for All, Perth & Kinross Council’s Fairer Communities for All Fund, ACSR Core Paths, A&A Connected (Auchterarder and Aberuthven Connected), and Auchterarder & District Community Trust (A&DCT).
Coming Soon: a short film documenting the mural process.
Makers Markets
We work with our young people to create products for selling in the Creative Exchange’s bi-annual makers markets. By participating, young people have the opportunity to see their creative work valued in a real-world context, boosting their confidence and sense of accomplishment. These workshops foster idea development and problem-solving skills, as participants learn to take an initial concept through to a finished product. Additionally, they gain valuable insights into entrepreneurship, from pricing and marketing to customer engagement, empowering them with the tools to think about their own creative futures.
People of Pullars – Fabric of Society
People of Pullars was an exhibition held at Perth Museum and Art Gallery in November 2022, exploring the community around Pullars of Perth, Scotland.
Our young creatives were invited by Perth Museum & Art Gallery to create a body of artwork around the history of Pullar House and respond to the theme of protest and activism. As part of their research they got exclusive access to the museum archives to view the original protest banners made by Pullars’ staff from the early 20th century.
The young creatives’ artwork was exhibited alongside the museum’s display from their collection; living memories from those who worked at Pullars of Perth and a quilt stitched and dyed by partnering participants (Scottish Refugee Council, Perth Syrian Family Support Group and ESOL Perth).
With support from our mentors the Young Creatives independently worked on varying ideas from traditional weaving, sticker bombing the museum, to creating an interactive “Board of Change” inviting the community to have their say.
Creative Enterprise Summer School with Articulate Cultural Trust
We were delighted to invite Articulate Cultural Trust in Glasgow to join us for three days of making and creating at our studio in our Perth studio. Through various creative workshops including textiles and expressive painting the young people were supported to develop and produce products for sale at the Wasps Summer Market at the Briggait in Glasgow. This gave young people a great chance to experience the full creative process, from idea development to a finished product, packaged for a real market. As well as learning new techniques they also learnt how to set up a market table and professionally sell to customers.
With thanks to Articulate Cultural Trust, Made with Care, Astrid Leeson, Ruth Morris & Craigrossie Printing.
Safety Mapping – Gender Equality Perth
Commissioned by Gender Equality Perth
With the aim of exploring how women feel about safety in their lives and on the streets of Perth, Helen and Anna delivered six workshops with different groups of local women. They invited the participants to discuss feelings of safety and visually depict their experience using the medium of collage and mark-making. Anna then created an animation in response to the findings from the workshop discussions and directly used the participants’ artwork within the finished piece. The resulting animation was projected onto the wall of St Paul’s Church and Mill Street in Perth as part of the programme for the 16 Days of Action to End Violence Against Women.
With thanks to Gender Equality Perth, RASAC, Perth Soroptimists, Perth Women’s Collective, Young People from Creative Catalyst, PKC & Alan Farnington.
RASAC – ‘Reclaim the Night Placards’
Creative Catalyst facilitated a workshop for RASAC, helping them design and create placards for the annual Reclaim the Night march. Participants engaged in cathartic mark-making to create vibrant, visually striking backgrounds, which were then layered with typography to convey their personal messages.
Blairgowrie High Mural – “The Art of Friendship”
Funded by PKC Creative Learning Network
Commissioned by Blairgowrie High to co-create a mural with their 2nd year students for the school’s social and eating area, based on the theme of friendship. The aim of the project was to foster healthy connections between the pupils by supporting them to reflect on the meaning of friendship, collaborate on a fun project and feel united in their pride seeing their creativity and effort displayed in the school.
We worked hard and tried to see what everyone in our year saw friendship as and how we could ensure it included most people’s motifs from gaming to eating pizza!
Sophie and Natasha, Blairgowrie High pupils
Creative Catalyst worked with the 2nd years to generate a body of work by everyone in the year group in response to the theme. A core group of pupils then collaborated with Creative Catalyst to design the final mural using the sketches and ideas from everybody’s work.
The mural was unbelievably fun to make, and we enjoyed working with the artists, and even having some of the teachers come to help. It was an amazing experience, one that we are immensely proud of and won’t forget!
Sophie and Natasha, Blairgowrie High pupils
Moncreiffe Primary School
Moncreiffe Primary commissioned Creative Catalyst to co-create with their pupils a playground mural. The planning and delivery was supported by our work placement student from Perth UHI.
The pupils of Moncreiffe Primary were tasked with researching their surrounding environment and transport, and identifying the ways in which it has changed over the years. Our job was to support the children to collaboratively visualise their findings through drawing workshops. With the help of our group of young creatives at Creative Catalyst, we created a mural design that incorporated the children’s themes and drawings. The children gave us feedback on two designs, we were pleased to find they liked them a lot.
With the help of Creative Catalyst young creatives and P5s, P6s and P7s the design was painted on the 16 metre wall.
Funded by Gannochy Trust. With thanks to PKC, the Gannochy Trust, Moncreiffe Primary School & pupils, Fiona Smith, Ella & Iman.
Mindspace
We piloted a program with Mindspace working with young people to express their emotions through creative workshops in a safe, non-challenging environment. Each week focused on different materials and techniques from basic mark-making to sculpting clay. Participants were encouraged to focus on the process over the outcome allowing them to explore organically without the pressure of a final product. Through these types of workshops young people can build tools that help them articulate complex feelings in a way that feels comfortable, building resilience and self-confidence through creative expression. The workshops also offered opportunities to share their work fostering open dialogue and connection with others while maintaining a sense of safety and emotional security.
Open Studios
Every year we participate in Open Studios events and get to showcase all the wonderful work our young people create. This process helps them build discipline as they refine their skills and push the boundaries of their creativity to meet the standards of a professional exhibition. It offers them a powerful sense of validation as they see their art showcased alongside professional artists, affirming that their talent and efforts are worthy of public recognition. This experience not only strengthens their artistic practice but also empowers them to see themselves as emerging professionals within the creative community.
