Space, People, and Organic Growth

Reflections on Year One at Curiosity Hub by Barry Evans, Curiosity Hub Lead Facilitator

For anyone working with young people, summer is supposed to be a time for relaxation, decompression, and looking ahead to the new year. Of course, when you have a family of your own, that ideal is about as far from reality as it gets. Still, after a fantastic first year with Waymakers and Curiosity Hub, I wanted to take a moment to share a few reflections—whether I am fully relaxed or not!

Moving From Paper to Reality

When Helen and Kristy first approached me about facilitating Curiosity Hub, I was excited and, naturally, very curious. The company’s policies and philosophy were clear, but the big question was: how do you bring those words on paper to life?

As someone used to structured environments, like a one-hour drama workshop, building something where structure is almost the enemy, felt daunting. How does an empty space filled only with people, materials, and ideas become something?

I am still not sure I have the exact answer. The magic is hard to define or quantify, which isn't the most helpful thing when you are looking at a business model. But the simple truth is that people make the space. They are the beginning and the end, and they completely define everything that happens in the middle.

Building the "Hub Club"

Early on, I imagined Curiosity Hub having a real "club" atmosphere—a safe haven where young people have total agency to explore, create, and just be themselves. I figured that once we established the right atmosphere, the vacuum of time would naturally fill with busy productivity.

Looking back on our first year, the "Hub Club" really has become that welcoming, membership-free community.

Granted, that frantic buzz of productivity did not always happen consistently. But why should it? Because the projects come organically from the young people themselves, sometimes just doing nothing and being together is the most important part. The atmosphere is the achievement. I still have to remind myself of that whenever I get the itch to force a structured activity!

Looking Ahead to Year Two

Now, we are in a brilliant position to build on what we have started. Many of our wonderful "hubbers" are returning, giving us a fantastic, established collective to grow with.

This coming year, we are looking at:

·       Inviting visiting specialists to share new skills

·       Finding new ways for the group to take ownership of their physical space

·       Exploring termly themes based on collective interests

Ultimately, though, it is not up to me to fill the space. Whatever happens next will be driven by the ones who matter most: the young people at the heart of it all.