We want to give young people first-hand experience of working with artists. We want to share our skills and help to build confidence. We believe in fair pay and we want to focus our effort on someone who might otherwise be excluded. The coronavirus pandemic and cost of living crisis have hit young people’s career prospects very hard so this is more important now than ever.

Since 2019 we have been able to offer paid internships to replace our previous volunteer programme, with generous support from Blast Theory donors as well as from funded schemes including Kickstart and the University of Sussex Careers Lab. In 2023/24 we’re thrilled to work with Creative Access as recipients of the Mo Siewcharran Fund which covers 50% of the costs of a six-month internship.

As part of their placement, Blast Theory interns get mentoring from the artists and team; dedicated time for professional development; career development support; and opportunities to develop their own creative projects including Intern Takeover videos on Instagram. If you’re curious what it’s like to intern at Blast Theory, check out recent intern Amber Gibbins’ Instagram video about their time at the studio.

It currently costs Blast Theory £1,520 per month to employ an intern on a part time contract, four days per week. We are now fundraising for our next paid placement to start in the second half of 2024.

We usually receive over 100 applications for every placement which shows how few paid opportunities there are for young people to start a creative career. And we can only continue these placements with your help. Please use the form below to make a one-off donation or to sign up with a recurring monthly amount.

Blast Theory is a registered charity (1053343).