More than 300 young people aged between 12–17 from east London took part in a free two-week Summer School held across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over July and August.

The 2023 EAST Summer School featured free sessions run by world-leading creative, cultural and education organisations for young people from Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The programme of short courses included fashion textiles, skateboarding, dance, entrepreneurship, photography, journalism, fashion and creating sustainable clothing to tackle climate change.

Participants were able to go behind the scenes at a practical two-day lighting and production workshop that took place at ABBA Voyage, the venue where the incredible ABBA shows are held. UCL’s Advanced Propulsion Lab held workshops on how fuel cells and batteries work, and how they can be applied in real world scenarios. A five-day ‘hip hop connections’ course saw young people creating their own choreography and exploring the rhythm of rap and soulful vocals to create their own unique dance piece.

The summer school programme was organised by the London Legacy Development Corporation with the organisations from the planned culture and education district at East Bank – UCL, UAL’s London College of Fashion, the BBC, Sadler’s Wells and V&A East. Other local organisations taking part included Class of Your Own, Bloom, X7eaven, City Mill Skate, ABBA Voyage, Youth National Dance Company, Culture Mile Learning, Museum of London, the Barbican, IESH and Spaceblack.

Layla Conway, Head of Education, Careers and Youth Engagement, London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “I hope all these young people will be inspired by what they’ve learnt here and will keep exploring a passion for their subject – whether it be by studying at the universities based on the Park or by making the most of having East Bank on their doorstep.”