About The Making Place

Youth work and creative practice in the same room

The Making Place brings together a real studio environment and an approach shaped by fifteen years of youth work.

Our purpose

Reducing barriers to meaningful creative opportunity

Bath is often seen as an affluent city, but that overall picture can hide pockets of deprivation and families under financial pressure. Specialist creative opportunities can be expensive, leaving some young people priced out.

Other barriers can include confidence, group size, anxiety, access to equipment or difficulty engaging with formal learning environments.

The Making Place exists to reduce those barriers through small groups, flexible support, practical creative routes and funded access.

At least one fully funded place has been offered on every programme delivered so far.

Our approach

How the provision is shaped

Small by design

Group sizes are kept low so young people have time, space and meaningful support.

Project-based

Learning happens through making music, podcasts and film rather than completing detached exercises.

Youth-work-led

Confidence, relationships, boundaries and wellbeing are considered alongside creative skill.

Creative work with wider impact

oung people work towards finished pieces they can hear, watch, share or include in a portfolio. Alongside the creative outcome, programmes are designed to build confidence, communication, collaboration, persistence and greater independence.

A young person working in The Making Place studio with support

Creative support

Practical guidance with room for individual ideas.

Background

Built from experience in both worlds

The Making Place is led by Leroy Mentos, an experienced youth worker, musician, producer and audio engineer. His youth-work background includes community provision and targeted work with young people, while his creative background includes songwriting, production, recording and film.

That combination shapes a provision where the technical standard matters, but never at the expense of how a young person experiences the space.

Growing with purpose

Preparing to become a Community Interest Company

The Making Place is preparing to become a Community Interest Company (CIC), formalising its community purpose as the provision grows.

The intended structure will support clearer governance, accountability and sustainable development, while keeping the organisation focused on community benefit and widening access for young people.

The aim is not simply to deliver more activity, but to grow without losing the small-group, youth-work-led approach that makes the provision effective.

Who it is for

A broad creative offer, with particular value for young people who need something smaller

The Making Place works with young people aged 10–18 across different starting points and circumstances.

Creative interestYoung people already writing, recording, filming or curious about how it all works.

Different routesHome-educated learners, alternative provision, community groups and individual referrals.

Manageable scaleYoung people who may not thrive in larger groups or formal learning environments.

What matters

Creative quality and personal development are not separate goals

A young person can build confidence because they learn to record a vocal they are proud of, contribute an idea to a podcast, solve a technical problem or complete a film. The creative work is not simply a vehicle around the edges of the youth work — it is part of how progress happens.

Explore

Try tools and roles without being expected to arrive with a fixed identity or level of ability.

Develop

Return to ideas, practise techniques, collaborate and take increasing ownership of decisions.

Complete

Finish work that gives the process purpose and makes progress visible to the young person.

For families

Explore the current offer

See courses, workshops and targeted provision.

What we offer

For partners

Help the provision grow

Explore funding, referrals, commissioned work and partnership opportunities.

Support & partnerships