The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) helped establish A Team Arts in 1979 as a youth arts project based in Tower Hamlets. The remit was to work with young people aged 5-25yrs in informal settings and out of school hours, as well as providing arts training to youth workers. After the demise of the ILEA in 1990 A Team Arts was supported by Tower Hamlets Council and in 2003 the focus of the work shifted towards 13-19 yr olds.

Covering both visual and performing arts, the A Team was noted for its cross arts productions, especially theatre and estate-based street performances with a strong design element. Projects often centered on community celebrations such as Christmas, Ramadan, Halloween, April Fools Day and International Women’s Day or historical events such as Lansbury Estate’s 50th Anniversary.

 A Team Arts has always championed a grass-roots approach, taking workshops and projects out into youth clubs and community centres. They increased participation and audience engagement through a range of initiatives. These included the renowned summer playscheme tours which were run from the back of a mini-bus.

2019 marked the 40th anniversary of A Team Arts. Exciting outreach activities to celebrate this milestone included taking a youth theatre production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The year ended with a ‘walk’ through the borough, encompassing estate-based performances and culminating in a ‘Dream Garden’ installation. The theme explored climate change and used only re-cycled and single use materials. This was in line with the team’s ethos of tackling relevant and contemporary topics, often chosen by the young people involved.

In 2021 A Team Arts was made redundant by Tower Hamlets Council. Two former colleagues set up A Team Arts Education as a new version of this service. They were able to launch it as a non-profit CIC (Community Interest Company) with the help of partner Central St Martins UAL and support from McQueen. The aim was to continue to offer local young people the opportunity to progress into careers in art and design, fashion and textiles.

The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) helped establish A Team Arts in 1979 as a youth arts project based in Tower Hamlets. The remit was to work with young people aged 5-25yrs in informal settings and out of school hours, as well as providing arts training to youth workers. After the demise of the ILEA in 1990 A Team Arts was supported by Tower Hamlets Council and in 2003 the focus of the work shifted towards 13-19 yr olds.

Covering both visual and performing arts, the A Team was noted for its cross arts productions, especially theatre and estate-based street performances with a strong design element. Projects often centered on community celebrations such as Christmas, Ramadan, Halloween, April Fools Day and International Women’s Day or historical events such as Lansbury Estate’s 50th Anniversary.

 A Team Arts has always championed a grass-roots approach, taking workshops and projects out into youth clubs and community centres. They increased participation and audience engagement through a range of initiatives. These included the renowned summer playscheme tours which were run from the back of a mini-bus.