Information Tent

Find out more about the festival and our I Am Network

I Am Festival is our yearly celebration empowering Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent young people to explore their creativity. Over the past five years, the festival has provided a platform for hundreds of young people to showcase their talents, leadership, ideas and opinions.

This year’s festival will take place from 15 May - 16 June 2023 and included a hybrid of activities across a number of schools, cultural venues, and online, all focused on the theme of Activism. Teachers and students involved in our I Am Network came together with a range of artists and arts organisations to create new artwork and performances, which you can now explore across our virtual festival stages.

I Am Festival 2022 Parade With Graeae Theatre – credit Maria Quigley
I Am Festival 2022 Parade with Graeae Theatre © Maria Quigley

By showcasing students' creativity and facilitating new artistic collaborations, the festival aims to challenge attitudes surrounding disability and provide a model for arts and cultural organisations to effectively collaborate with SEND education settings. All of the festival activities have been designed to be accessible for students of all needs and abilities, ensuring everyone can participate and no one is left out. Through I Am Festival, we hope to show that inclusion benefits everyone.

Join our I Am Network

Are you a creative subject teacher in a special school or a SENDCo in a mainstream school? Our I Am Network offers opportunities to share practice, seek advice, and develop relationships with other teachers from across London.

Find out more

If you would be interested in joining the network, please fill out the expression of interest form below:

Expression of Interest – A New Direction's SEND Network









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