Space for under 30s in Totnes

When we screened the short film In The Making here in Totnes earlier this year, it opened up a conversation about what it really takes to resource young creatives and visionaries in our town, highlighting the need for more spaces and opportunities that could motivate and inspire changemakers to reach their full potential.

There were many who wanted to carry on that same conversation so an intergenerational group of us has been meeting regularly ever since, asking a simple question: how do we turn that original dream into something real, something lasting, something this community can actually use?

The idea that kept resonating was to create a non-commercial, multi-faceted third space for young people where they can simply exist, learn, and create both together, and with, the older generations.

What this could look like

The vision keeps evolving because its potential is only limited by our imagination! In our meetings we've imagined youth-led events like skill shares and food shares. To hold youth assemblies to bring awareness to the pressing issues of our time so it can act as a platform for those that feel passionate about anything to be heard and seen. And finally the simpler stuff: a place to drink tea, hang out, and feel at home.

We hope to run intergenerational events from space, but events that are designed and hosted by the youth, inverting traditional power dynamics. So, the space will be primarily for, and led by, young people, but still in collaboration with older generations

We've got two potential venues already in conversation. One indoors, the space behind the United Free Church comes with a kitchen, sofas, a TV, a table tennis table, and a pool table. The other outdoor space being the beautiful old quarry that is an abundant nature spot close to the centre of town on Maudlin Road.

Why we need your support!

For this to actually happen, we want to pay young people to brainstorm, organise, and host these gatherings. Not as volunteers squeezing it in around everything else, but as properly resourced people whose time and ideas are valued. We also need funds for equipment, food, and the practical bits that turn an idea into a regular, reliable space.

We are asking for £5000. This covers the running of a fortnightly third space, including food, materials and people's time to design the space for 6 months. The more we raise beyond that, the more consistently these meetings can happen, and the more space there is for the conversations we're having now to grow into real connections and projects a year from now. Below are some ideas of how the money could be utilised

Creative equipment - art materials, music equipment, recording gear, projector and screen

Outdoor space development - tools for the quarry site, seating, fire pit supplies, weatherproof storage, solar lights, gardening tools.

Wellbeing items - yoga mats, meditation cushions, blankets, tea and herbal supplies

Communications and outreach - posters, flyers, printing costs, social media, simple website

Workshop and skill share resources - cooking ingredients, sewing machines, repair kits, booklets, magazines

Events and programming - guest facilitators, visiting speakers, travel costs for elders or mentors, food for shared meals

Accessibility - contributions toward transport for those who need it, materials in different formats, any adaptations to make spaces welcoming to all

Admin and running costs - a small fund for unforeseen expenses, basic stationery, first aid kit, cleaning supplies

Youth Council and Democracy Projects - Books, educations and workshops on engaging and resourcing youth in changemaking and community building.

£1,000 - This gets the space off the ground for a trial run. It covers around 40 paid hours for young people to plan and host the first few gatherings, plus some basics to help the space be more cosy like tea and herbal supplies, art materials, and printing for posters and flyers to spread the word.

£2,500 - This builds on the launch and keeps things running regularly for a season. It covers paid hours so young people can organise and host consistently, a proper stock of creative equipment, food for shared meals at events, and the first investment in the quarry site for some outdoor supplies. We would be able to host workshops and purchase skill share resources like sewing machines, repair kits, cooking ingredients, wellbeing supplies (yoga mats, meditation cushions, blankets), and a budget for guest facilitators and visiting speakers.

£5,000 - The full amount funds the running of a fortnightly third space, including food, materials and people's time to design the space for 6 months. It covers a meaningful block of paid hours, a contingency fund for the unexpected, accessibility support like transport contributions and materials in different formats, and the practical running costs (first aid, cleaning, stationery) that turn an idea into a reliable, dependable place.

Beyond £5,000 Anything raised past our target simply means more: more frequent gatherings, deeper projects that could be the catalyst for more connection within this most beautiful community. We could experiment with blocks of weekly sessions. We would also love to dream into a permanent space for youth, that is always open and used by the community in a variety of different ways. Beyond £10,000 would give us some breathing room and a chance to dream beyond the budgetings of the sessions.

What we're really asking for is a chance to prove that this kind of space matters. Every contribution, however small, helps us move from meetings and imagination into something tangible, a place where young people feel a pull to stay in Totnes and feel like they belong, where ideas are taken seriously, and where the wisdom of older generations meets the energy of the next. If this vision resonates with you, please consider supporting us, sharing this with someone who might, or coming along to be part of the conversation. This is just the beginning, and we'd love for you to be part of what comes next.