The Next Level Cafe was a Charnwood Arts project supported by Connexions, Leicestershire Youth Offending Service, YISP and local schools. It was a key part of the wider Next Level Programme, still being run by Charnwood Arts.

The Cafe was developed out of successful Home Office funded summer activities programmes run in 2001, 2002 and locally funded projects in 2003 and ran two types of activity. In term time the purpose of the Cafe was to work with young people referred by a range of agencies to enable them to develop skills and think more seriously about their future work, training and educational opportunities. Staff worked with a wide range of non-arts professionals to assist these workers in meeting young peoples' needs through engaging them in creative activities.

As a result of funding cuts last year, the Next Level Cafe was forced to close after eight hugely successful years. However, thanks to the generosity of Jelsons, we have managed to retain the Next Level Cafe space to begin running new activities. We have developed new relationships with local schools to deliver the Youth Arts Award and we have appointed a new arts and media worker for young people, James Chantry.