Our focus is helping young people develop the skills they need to have a successful career in the industry, and on providing access to the spaces they need for on the job training, rehearsals, and performances.
We also provide access to spaces for young people to train and perform in the form of subsidised studio and event space hire.
At the heart of NEKO’s mission and a huge undertaking for the charity is our long term project of building five new independent music venues across the UK.
The aim is to create multi-purpose venues that will act as a communal hub for the local and wider community, a place of learning for our live events students and a state of the art venue for music, comedy, poetry and the arts in general.
It is our intention to offer learning opportunities and jobs within the venues to our students, ex offenders, ex military and those disadvantaged among the population with an interest in the live event industry. Our venues will also have the infrastructure to allow more established bands to play intimate shows to family and fans while also giving the younger, less developed bands the chance to play on a great stage with amazing sound, lights and visuals.
Our site in Wandsworth is home to many grassroot music and arts companies or individuals. NEKO Trust want to continue to subsidise work space rent for these creatives to provide a leg up into the industry for start-up companies.
We run bespoke education programmes to inspire and train the future employees of the industry. By partnering with experts and industry veterans we are able to deliver educational experiences and courses that help young people build the skills that employers need.