Janine GriffithsTucked away at The Ark in Harehills, East Leeds, a former food bus has been transformed into something extraordinary: a mobile creative hub giving young people a space to breathe, talk and discover their talents through hands-on enterprise and wellbeing workshops.
It’s the beating heart of The Pieces Project, a grassroots social enterprise that is quietly transforming lives across the city and beyond.
Founded by local designer and entrepreneur Sami Lovett, The Pieces Project is not your average youth initiative. Born from a deep frustration with how creativity and business skills are often kept apart in schools, Sami set out to prove that you can merge both with powerful results.
“I just loved laser cutting and realised I could make bespoke products for people using my skills,” she says. “Whilst working in schools, I thought why weren’t we taught this? Why isn’t it championed more that you can make something and sell it if you’re creative?”
That spark led to the development of The Creative Enterprise Challenge, a five-day workshop teaching young people how to take a creative idea, turn it into a product, cost it, price it, pitch it and walk away with their own business plan. It’s more than a crash course in entrepreneurship. For many, it’s the first time someone has told them their creative ideas are valid, valuable and full of potential.
“We want to open young people’s eyes to what they can achieve after school,” Sami says. “It doesn’t just have to be the university route. You can do both and you can have a side hustle at school or university. That’s empowering.”
The workshops combine enterprise training with mental wellbeing support. Sessions are creative, practical and conversation-led, and no two are exactly the same. From painting to product design, young people explore their own ideas while talking about what’s on their minds with the help of ‘Let’s Talk’ cards designed to gently prompt discussion around mental health.
Julie Cotton, one of the team’s creative leads, says the workshops often bring together young people who don’t know each other and help them build meaningful connections.
“By the end, you’ve got Year 7s working with Year 10s who now know each other and can say hi in the playground. It’s really positive,” she says. “And the teachers love it too. I had staff coming in during a workshop at Emmanuel College, just to join in. They said it was fantastic to interact with students in a different way.”
Despite this enthusiasm, getting in front of schools remains one of the project’s biggest challenges.
“Teachers are swamped,” Julie explains. “They get hundreds of emails offering things. It’s hard to get noticed. But once we’re in, they always want us back.”
To help overcome this, the team has started offering shorter 90-minute workshops to act as a taster and is working hard to build partnerships with schools, youth organisations and corporate sponsors.
Louisa Morris, a newly joined creative coach, is one of the team members helping to deliver these sessions. Still in training, she’s already passionate about the project’s impact.
“There’s so much pressure on young people,” she says. “It’s nice to offer them a space to just have a breather even if it’s just 90 minutes. But they learn so much too.”
At the centre of it all is the Pieces Project’s converted bus, now parked at youth organisation CATCH in Harehills. Donated by First Bus and refitted by the CATCH building team, it now hosts creative workshops upstairs and production space downstairs, with tools like laser cutters and a new screen printer soon to be installed.
“It was just full of stuff – people had been dumping things in it,” Sami says. “But now, it’s ours. We’ve turned it into a space where young people can come, create, make and just be.”
Charlotte Thomas, also known as Charlie, joined the team after leaving high school. She now works behind the scenes, using her creative skills to help develop products designed by the young people.
“It’s so rewarding,” she says. “They give themselves to me in a way, I take what they’re thinking and turn it into a tangible thing they can share, sell, or take pride in. That’s amazing.”
While Sami and the team have ambitious plans to scale the project to Bradford, Manchester and eventually nationwide through franchising, funding remains a major barrier.
“We don’t want to charge schools that can’t afford it. That’s not the point,” Sami says. “We work on a system where we rate schools based on free school meal numbers. Those who can pay full price help subsidise those who can’t.”
Support from local businesses is vital. One of the project’s key backers is Ian Short from Morley Glass and Glazing, who helped connect the team with CATCH and has played a crucial role in getting the initiative off the ground.
“It’s all about exposing young people to ideas they’d never otherwise hear,” Sami says. “There are kids out there with brilliant ideas, but no one’s saying, ‘You can do this.’ No one’s giving them that nudge.”
With a growing team, including people from diverse backgrounds – former carers, business owners and artists, The Pieces Project has created a truly dynamic model. But the mission stays the same: empower young people with the skills, confidence and creativity to carve their own path.
“Everybody says the same thing,” says Julie, adding: “‘I wish this had been around when I was at school. It’s filling a massive gap.”
Find out more or book a workshop via their website: https://www.thepiecesproject.co.uk/
