Please note: this initiative has now come to an end. This page is for information only.
Donate today and be automatically entered into a prize draw to win one of three framed artworks!
Donate to Impactful Starts
Creative employability in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Not every young person thrives in a traditional classroom. Some face challenges like anxiety or bullying and leave school still needing help with their next steps.
Without an arts-based organisation bridging the gap, we won’t reach the young people who are more likely to fall through the cracks. We want to make sure no young person is left behind.
Our creative employability programme Impactful Starts offers something different: a safe, creative space where young people aged 16-24 can build their confidence, develop new skills, gain qualifications, make friends, and progress into further education, training, or employment.
Through art and creativity, we help them reimagine what’s possible for their future.
Impactful Starts is especially suitable for young people who have: experienced trauma, are new to Scotland, have disabilities, or have autism or ADHD.
But this vital programme is facing a funding shortfall and we need your help to raise £10,000 to keep it running in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The positive impact of Impactful Starts
How your donation will make a difference
Impactful Starts is changing lives. Our participants have the opportunity to take part in creative activities like painting, drawing, and filmmaking; go on field trips; and contribute to local community art projects – all while building life and work skills they can take into adulthood.
Of the young people who took part in our Impactful Starts programmes in 2024-25:
- 90% gained accreditations
- 71% went onto further education, training, or employment
- 87% reported an improvement in their mental health
- 94% grew in confidence
- 88% built resilience and better coping skills
- 90% became more engaged in learning
- 94% improved their employability skills
Help us keep reigniting the spark in young people who need creative and alternative learning to progress.
How you can help
Invest in the next generation
There are lots of ways you can support young people to thrive through creativity – whether it’s donating, fundraising, or spreading the word.
Ways to support Impactful Starts 🎨
- Donate today and pay it forward for a young person interested in art – and be automatically entered into our prize draw!
- Fundraise for Impact Arts at the Edinburgh Kiltwalk on September 14 – check out our fundraising guide to learn more
- Sign up to Easyfundraising and make free donations to Impact Arts when you shop online: find out more
- Help us spread the word with people you know who care about Scotland’s young people
Your support will help us give more young people the creative outlet they need to express themselves and get support towards a positive destination.
Art changes lives. Change a young person’s life by making a donation
Impactful Starts Glasgow & Edinburgh
We need your support to secure the future of Impactful Starts.
Please donate by August 31 to help young people in Glasgow and Edinburgh build bright futures – and you’ll be in with the chance to win a framed artwork!
Chat about Donating
Got any questions about our fundraising campaign?
If you have any questions about our fundraising campaign or you’re part of an organisation looking to make a more substantial contribution, we would love to hear from you. To speak to a member of the Impact Arts’ Development Team, please contact development@impactarts.co.uk.
