Birmingham Hippodrome is to start a fundraising campaign to raise £20,000 in a week to bring confidence and creativity back to young people to combat the effects of COVID-19.
The theatre has joined The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge 2020 campaign which will double all donations for seven days from midday on Tuesday 1 December.
Funds raised will support the Hippodrome Education Network (HEN) which gives disadvantaged and vulnerable young people from Birmingham and the West Midlands aged between 5 and 19 the chance to experience high-quality arts and culture on a weekly basis.
Each week since September, the HEN team has been working in 28 primary and secondary schools as well as those supporting children and young adults with special educational needs. The team has worked with teachers to adapt and deliver a programme focused on wellbeing and building resilience and confidence in young people in the wake of their disrupted education.
Zaylie-Dawn Wilson, head of learning and participation at Birmingham Hippodrome, said, "raising £20,000 will allow us to work with 5,000 young people to deliver wellbeing and confidence workshops, digital masterclasses and careers insights in schools and to build young people back up, enabling them to develop skills and give them a voice to reimagine their future."
Donations to the campaign can be made at the Birmingham Hippodrome web site from midday on Tuesday 1 December until Tuesday 8 December.