Meet the second cohort of our Future Creative Leaders, young creatives who are stepping into power and reshaping what cultural leadership looks like.
Our Future Creative Leaders (FCL) programme redefines youth engagement by sharing power and resources directly with young people. Launched in 2024/25, the programme hands over decision-making for city-centre public art spaces to young creatives; a first-of-its-kind model in the UK.
This 12-month programme goes beyond access or participation. It places real influence, leadership, creative agency and decision-making power in the hands of those traditionally underrepresented in the creative industries.
Building on the success of our pilot year, we recently launched Pathways Not Projects, a long-term commitment to structural change in the creative sector, shaped by nearly a decade of research and experimentation. FCL sits at its core.
Throughout the year, the cohort will creatively document their lived experience of governance, capturing ideas, challenges and learning as they navigate leadership in real time. These reflections will be shared with the wider sector, contributing to a growing body of insight around youth-led cultural governance.
Over the course of the year, FCL will curate a programme of activity, including a showcase and a series of events in Brighton Festival 2026, celebrating the cohort’s work and spotlighting the impact and significance of this bold approach.
“I am incredibly honoured to be working with the latest group of young creative leaders in Brighton. Through the success of last year's Future Creative Leaders programme, we have been awarded the opportunity to scale this work nationwide and continue to build bridges; between art and audience, community and culture, innovation and impact! I am personally so inspired by this emerging generation of leaders and creatives, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve over the next few years. Watch this space!”
Bobby Brown, Lighthouse's Creative Communities Producer
Through FCL, we’re building lasting pathways into leadership, not one-off opportunities, but sustained routes that transform how culture is made, led and shared.
As a foundational part of Pathways Not Projects, FCL creates a continuous, sustainable leadership pathway for the next generation of cultural changemakers.
MEET OUR 2026 FUTURE CREATIVE LEADERS
ABOUT OUR FUTURE CREATIVE LEADERS
Kaia “Kai-Ah” (She/Her)
Kaia is an inspiring, award-winning advocate, entrepreneur, and creative recognised for her commitment to social justice and educational reform.
Since 2019 (age 16), Kaia has been an active Racial Justice / Anti-Racism advocate, co-organising Brighton's BLM peaceful demonstrations and founding @officialbrightonblm. Her TEDx Talk was featured in Forbes Morocco as one that had a "Global Impact". She is the current Director of Engagement and Impact at Edge Of Difference and was crowned "Brighton Girl of The Year" of 2025.
Kaia is the CEO and founder of the multi-award-winning consultancy YouthTheGapCIC, which focuses on reimagining education and addressing educational inequity, which they recognise as a global crisis. Founded in November 2024, YouthTheGapCIC has already received the Plus X "Rising Star Award" and Kaia was recognized with the Acquisition International "Transformative Education CEO of the Year 2025 (UK)" award. Beyond her advocacy and business leadership, Kaia is a self-taught, multi-medium creative and "accidental poet". She translates her activism into "joyful, yet political, pieces" that call for community healing and direct action, with her artwork and poetry featured in publications and exhibitions and collaborations with organizations like Grazia and The Guardian.
@kaia.ab | www. kaiaab.com www. youththegap.uk
Molly (She/Her)
Molly believes every young person’s lived experience is a superpower. She champions their ability to find their inner power, take action, and create change together. Guided by a deep sense of human connection and ubuntu— “I am what I am because of who we all are”.
She is co-chair of the national #iwill movement, supporting over 700 young people (ages 10–25) to drive community change. Molly studies International Children’s Rights and serves as a youth voice adviser with the National Lottery Community Fund. She also works as a lived-experience contractor at Peer Power Youth, supporting young people affected by violence, exploitation, or the youth justice system. In addition, she contributes to EU–UK youth relations as a youth advisory committee member, championing young people’s rights to connect with Europe and access intercultural exchange.
At her core, Molly is driven by a commitment to young people’s rights and wellbeing, lifelong learning, and building the connections that fuel collective action and systems change.
@iwill_molly | linktr.ee/molrosetay linktr.ee/iwillmovement
Jed (He/Him)
Jed is the founder of basics, a grassroots organisation aimed at connecting creatives & their ideas via multi-disciplinary events, art exhibitions, workshops & more. He also runs Sofar Sounds in Brighton & has promoted numerous local projects, putting on over 40 grassroots events in the last 2 years. He’s focussed facilitating alternatives to a disconnected online world.
Recently Jed has been selected for Root 73’s ‘From The Ground Up’ apprenticeship scheme, received the ‘Early Career Promoter’ fund from the PRS Foundation, got awarded the ‘NextGen’ fund from Youth Music & spoke at The Great Escape Conference about maintaining local grassroots scenes.
Jed also writes poetry & is an artist himself. He was chosen as a BBC Words First finalist, featured on numerous national radio stations & performed at the BBC Contains Strong Language festival, Homegrown Festival, Sofar Fringe and shows all around the city.
Megan (She/Her)
Meg is a Brighton-based creative facilitator and the founder of Mind, Body and Earth, a growing project that offers gentle, welcoming spaces where people can connect, reflect, and express themselves through creativity. She believes that creative practices that support mental and emotional wellbeing should be open to everyone, and shouldn't break the bank.
Through workshops, events, and community collaborations, Meg creates playful, relaxed experiences that focus on the joy of making, connection, and shared meaning. She also collaborates with other creatives and organisations to bring these experiences to the wider community.
With a Fine Art background and experience as a Therapy Assistant, Meg brings a people-focused approach to everything she does, while continuously learning and adapting to make her spaces as welcoming as possible.
@meganmaelee | www. mindbodyandearth.co.uk
Casey (She/Her)
Casey is a multidisciplinary creative professional and neurodiversity advocate with a passion for colour, texture and inclusivity! Casey recently graduated from the University of Brighton with expertise in graphic design and fashion communications. Diagnosed with autism and ADHD in her early 20s, Casey transforms personal challenges into empowering projects like UNBOUND, a visual journal celebrating neurodivergent women's experiences through photography, poetry, and interactive elements. On the Future Creative Leaders programme, Casey will be honing her leadership skills while continuing to inspire thousands via her social media platforms, fostering community and representation in the creative sector.
@casey.galt | linktr.ee/casey.galt
Naiya (He/Him)
Naiya is a multifaceted artist pushing the boundaries of Music and Storytelling. His debut project “LSS” (Long Story Short) marked a defining chapter in his career, offering listeners a deep dive into his world. The project, released by independent label MXTR, signaled a new era of multidisciplinary storytelling, featuring an immersive exhibition and event inviting the audience to quite literally step into his work.
From Pain and Struggle to Glory and Purpose - Naiya is deeply inspired by his lived experience. Woven from the threads of identity, loss, adoption, and eventual triumph, told against the backdrop of Brighton’s landscapes, he aims to inspire and inform through his own personal growth, discipline and self-belief.
@thenameisnaiya | linktr.ee/dreddaa
Elsa (She/Her)
Elsa is a Brighton-based writer, journalist and communications lead working across music, arts and culture. Her work explores the people, places and creative movements shaping contemporary scenes and their legacy origins, with a focus on emerging artists, grassroots spaces and community-led practice. She brings a thoughtful, narrative-driven approach to storytelling, informed by her experience in artist development, creative advocacy and cultural programming.
Dr. Fezile “Fez-ee-ley” (She/Her)
Fez is an Assistant Professor in Education at the University of Sussex. Her research focuses on race, coloniality and higher education. Fez is particularly interested in how marginalised groups experience education. She is also a consultant at Lighthouse, supporting the Pathways not Projects programme.
Levvy (He/Him)
Founder and Creative Director of ‘eott’ - a youth mental health project focused on creatively communicating mental health - Levvy is an experienced videographer, DJ, producer, writer, award-winning Young entrepreneur and degree holder from Brighton, aged 24. He founded eott in 2019, and has since led the creative work and well-being focused messaging that it exists to push, raising over £10,000 for charity, selling 1000s of pieces of merchandise and reaching 100,000s people with his words in the process. Alongside which, he is/has been parts of the creative teams at Audio Active, The New Society and Keep Hush, has worked alongside Pirate Studios, UKF + Bru-C, and has produced media work for some of the UK's biggest music festivals. Levvy can't quite think of a fun fact but his favourite radio station is by far and wide Classic FM.
@channellevvy | https://eott.live
Lucia “Loo-Chee-Ah” (She/Her)
A digital designer passionate about storytelling across different mediums to amplify voices and drive positive change. As a Future Creative Leader, I’ve created zines exploring heritage, folklore, identity, and the barriers young people face entering the creative industries. With a background in art history, galleries, and workshops, I bring traditional visual storytelling into the digital space, designing engaging and thoughtful user experiences. I’m excited to continue my journey as a Future Creative Leader and contribute to the incredible work Lighthouse does.
FUNDERS
ABOUT FUTURE CREATIVE LEADERS
Future Creative Leaders (FCL) is a 12-month paid programme offering young creatives from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to work closely with Lighthouse's leadership team to explore various aspects of creative leadership. Funded and supported by:
ABOUT UK RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (UKRI)
Launched in April 2018, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Our vision is for an outstanding research and innovation system in the UK that gives everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, enriching lives locally, nationally and internationally. Our mission is to convene, catalyse and invest in close collaboration with others to build a thriving, inclusive research and innovation system that connects discovery to prosperity and public good.
www.ukri.org | @weareinnovateuk @weareukri
ABOUT CHARITY BANK
Charity Bank is a savings and loan bank with a mission to use money for good. We use money our savers entrust to us to make loans to UK charities, social enterprises and organisations with charitable purposes.
www.charitybank.org
ABOUT CHALK CLIFF TRUST
The Chalk Cliff Trust is a foundation set up to provide grants and donations to charities, action groups and benevolent organisations in East Sussex.
ABOUT SUSSEX COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Sussex Community Foundation empowers communities by making grants that address their specific needs. From health and environment to employment and social isolation, they fund projects, services and core costs that help charities and community groups build their sustainability.
www.sussexcommunityfoundation.org
