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Blue Cabin and Durham University’s Institute for Medical Humanities are partnering with Greater Manchester Youth Network to offer Creative Facilitation training in Manchester between April and December 2026.
Dawn Willams from Blue Cabin and Mary Robson from Durham University, who will deliver the training, explain exactly what creative facilitation is and how it can be used in workshops, meetings, community events and more.
Creative facilitation is all about bringing people together in ways that feel energising, inclusive, and inspiring. It’s a way of creating space where everyone feels heard, where different perspectives are not just welcome but essential, and where new ideas can really take off.
Whether it’s used in workshops, team meetings, school sessions, or community events, creative facilitation helps people connect, collaborate, and think differently. It’s not about having all the answers — it’s about guiding a group to find the answers together.
By using creative methods and activities, facilitators help people feel more at ease, more open, and more willing to speak up. It makes space for everyone — not just the loudest voices in the room. And when that happens, magic can follow: new ideas, deeper understanding, and stronger relationships.
We’re keeping it really hands-on and practical. There’ll be lots of chances to try things out in small, low-pressure ways. You might start by leading a short warm-up or icebreaker, or helping a group gather and shape their ideas. Then, as confidence builds, there’ll be opportunities to plan and run full sessions together, learning from each other along the way.
The skills you’ll develop are super adaptable. Maybe you’ll use them to run creative sessions in schools or youth clubs, help students work through challenges together, or bring fresh energy to workplace meetings. You might even support groups in your own community to dream up new projects or solve problems together.
Wherever you take them, these facilitation tools are about making space for people to connect, create, and grow. And that’s something every setting can benefit from.
This isn’t just about learning new tools — it’s about shifting the culture of who gets to lead, speak up, and shape the spaces around them.
When young people see facilitators who look like them, who’ve walked similar paths, it has real power. It shows them, ‘You belong here. You can do this.’ And that ripple effect is huge.
We want young people not just to join in, but to lead — to shape what’s happening around them and feel proud of their role in it. With a new network of trained facilitators, we’ll start seeing more inclusive, creative spaces popping up all over — in schools, youth settings, community centres, and beyond.
Over time, this community of practice can become a real force for cultural change: making facilitation more diverse, more creative, and more responsive to the real needs and ambitions of young people.
We’re partnering with Greater Manchester Youth Network to offer this training in Manchester between April and December 2026.
Applications closed on Monday 23 February 2026
The programme is supported by funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Hedley Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
