About us

Arts Education Exchange is a creative community in Thanet, East Kent.

We provide long-term, person-centred support for young people through art, advocacy and care-based programmes. Our approach is grounded in trust, stability, and slowing down - creating space for young people to find their own pace and pathway, rather than fitting into rigid timelines or targets.

Who we are

Our team

Arts Education Exchange is run by compassionate staff who come from arts education, charity, and therapeutic backgrounds.

Meet our team
Our Voice

We want to share our stories, art, music, and activism so other young people will feel inspired or will come to AEE.

Learn more

Our story

2016

The seeds of Arts Education Exchange were sewn with a short arts-based learning project with six young people in Margate.
2017

In October 2017 we incorporated as a Community Interest Company and supported by Arts Council England and widening participation UCA, set up 2 pilot projects with schools.
2019

The organisation grew quickly, so in 2019 we became a charity and sharpened our a focus on working with young people, who faced barriers to accessing mainstream education.
Today

We are actively seeking to reimagine what learning looks like in our community for and with young people.

Find out about our impact

Our approach

Our approach is grounded in trust, stability, and slowing down - creating space for young people to find their own pace and pathway, rather than fitting into rigid timelines or institutional targets. Our approach is different: slower, steadier, and built on relationships that last.

Learn more about our approach

Our values

Agency

We trust each other to think creatively and make decisions. When we make mistakes, we learn from them.
Sustainability

We understand that to flourish creatively, we need long-term programmes and progression opportunities.
Empathy

Our differences can connect us when we engage in curiosity and empathy.
Equity

To strive towards equity¹, we recognise each other’s intersectionality². We nurture critical thinking and offer a space to slow down, reflect and heal.
Care

We centre care, creating spaces where young people feel protected, respected, and supported to grow.
Slowness

We make space and time for trust to grow - committing to ongoing transformation for young people and our community.