National Saturday Club

Society and Change

We are part of the National Saturday Club network for 13-16-year-olds. This is a free-to-attend club where youngsters can learn new skills, discover talents and meet new people. And they can find out more about further education, higher education and rewarding careers.

The University of Derby Saturday Club focuses on society and change - the sessions run on a Saturday morning from 10am - 1pm and are for young people from Derby and Derbyshire of all abilities who have interest in creative and artistic practice.

We are running the subject strand Society and Change. Club members will explore themes such as:

Wellbeing
City spaces
Youth voice
Freedom
Protest and justice
Race and racism
Politics
Education
Creativity
Resilience
Vibrancy
Green
Growth

What our club members say

'Saturday club? Well it's the highlight of the week isn't it?' Club member

'It's opened up a whole new world for us. It can change your life.' Club member

'It's shown me so much more than I knew was out there'. Club member

Expert guidance

The club members will be at the centre of everything that it does. This ensures they have the best time while being hands-on as they make, curate, design, build, explore and develop their skills and have a platform for their voice. They will do this under the guidance of a fantastic range of guest practitioners and artists.

We will spend time helping them find their voice. This means helping them understand who they are and what they want to say. And we will help them develop a platform for expressing themselves both personally and collectively.

Our programme is packed with opportunities, activities and events. Club members will be encouraged to engage with the humanities and work in both traditional and innovative ways with our cultural and creative industry partners. And we will help them to develop a range of new skills and interests.

The club encourages its members to think creatively, and to consider their place in the world – and more locally. They will work collaboratively, make friends and have a really fun time. It is all about how we can work together for brighter futures, recognising that they are the future leaders for society who can bring change.

National Saturday Club: Chatsworth Masterclass

Running as part of our civic agenda, the National Saturday Club was recently proud to partner with Chatsworth to run a masterclass for our club.

National Saturday Club: A Masterclass from Kid Karam

National Saturday Club 2025

National Saturday Club: A Masterclass from Naked Politics

The National Saturday Club network is aimed at 13-16-year-olds who have an interest in arts and creativity.

The free-to-attend club is being hosted by the University of Derby in 2025 for a third consecutive year and offers young people an opportunity to explore subjects they love, to build new skills, meet new people and to explore future study and career possibilities.

Highlights of the 2025 sessions have included an engaging masterclass with Naked Politics; a group that aims to tackle apathy young people feel towards mainstream politics, and to encourage them to be politically engaged.

Banseka Kayembe, Director and Founder of Naked Politics, said: “It was a really fantastic session at the University of Derby. The attendees demonstrated so much enthusiasm and bright ideas for how we can create a better world, and I left the event feeling inspired and hopeful”.

The masterclass consisted of activities around social movement theory, journalism and manifesto writing, all of which will feed into a proposed group piece for the 2025 National Saturday Club Summer Show.

Professor Keith McLay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Naked Politics to the University of Derby for this masterclass.

“The National Saturday Club events are always a huge success and this was no exception, offering the chance for young people to share knowledge, be creative and feel inspired by local communities and initiatives.”

Feedback from club members

"It really helped me to understand more about the role of a journalist"

"It was amazing, I really enjoyed the group activities”

"I liked discussing everything, every activity was fun!"

"I found the manifesto activity manifesto valuable, as I was able to write a manifesto about helping homeless people.”

The National Saturday Club forms part of the University’s public engagement strategy and aligns with its goals as a civic institution.

Find out more about the Civic University Agreement. </a

Raising aspirations

Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, says: “We are committed to raising the aspirations of young people within our city and county, opening doors to opportunities that enable them to enhance their future career prospects by developing new skills and growing in confidence.

“By joining the National Saturday Club network, we are able to expand our provision by giving 13–16-year-olds who have an interest in creative and artistic practice a place where they can spend time exploring issues that matter to them, providing them with an outlet to be creative and a platform to have their voices heard.”

City venues and national events

Our sessions will take place predominantly at Artcore Gallery in Derby city centre, Derby Theatre, Baby People and University of Derby. These sessions will commence from Jan 2025 - July 2025.

Club members will also be able to take part in national events. These include masterclasses with leading industry professionals and the Summer Exhibition at Somerset House, London on 13 - 15 July 2025. All for free.