@ Your Service
A conversation about community, care, and what support really looks like.
What happens when the systems meant to support us fall short — and who steps in to fill the gap? What does it mean to actually feel held by a community?
Join us for an honest, open conversation exploring lived experience, local services, and the role of community in shaping who we become. Featuring artist, author and mental health advocate Jordan Stephens, alongside voices from Brighton's creative community — this isn't a panel you watch. It's one you're part of.
Meet Your Panel
Jordan Stephens
Jordan is an artist, author, performer and mental health advocate, best known as one half of the chart-topping duo Rizzle Kicks. His creative journey was shaped in part by Brighton’s youth music ecosystem, including AudioActive and Brighton Youth Centre, where he developed his skills and community connections. Alongside music, acting and writing, Jordan has become a powerful public voice on mental health, masculinity and emotional honesty. He co-founded the award-winning campaign #IAMWHOLE, encouraging young people to speak out, seek help and challenge stigma, and his writing includes The Wolf You Feed and the memoir Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs. For this conversation, Jordan brings lived experience, creative insight and a deep commitment to asking what it really means to be supported — by ourselves, by each other and by the communities around us.
Bobby Brown — Creative Communities Producer, Lighthouse
Bobby is a cultural leader and digital innovator working at the intersection of technology, youth development, and the arts. With over a decade of experience, he champions equity, community-led change, and inclusive access to creative opportunities. As Programme Lead for Future Creative Leaders at Lighthouse, he has developed transformative programmes that embed youth voice, decentralise leadership, and create real pathways into the creative industries.
Rooted in grassroots cultural work, Bobby began his career in music before moving into community-driven innovation, supporting marginalised groups and building local creative infrastructure. His work blends immersive technology, ethical storytelling, and social justice, positioning him as a forward-thinking voice in the UK’s innovation landscape.
Kaia Allen-Bevan
Kaia is an inspiring, award-winning advocate, entrepreneur, and creative recognised for her commitment to social justice and educational reform.
Since 2019 (age 16), Kaia has been an active Racial Justice / Anti-Racism advocate, co-organising Brighton's BLM peaceful demonstrations and founding @officialbrightonblm. Her TEDx Talk was featured in Forbes Morocco as one that had a "Global Impact". She is the current Director of Engagement and Impact at Edge Of Difference and was crowned "Brighton Girl of The Year" of 2025.
Kaia is the CEO and founder of the multi-award-winning consultancy YouthTheGapCIC, which focuses on reimagining education and addressing educational inequity, which they recognise as a global crisis. Founded in November 2024, YouthTheGapCIC has already received the Plus X "Rising Star Award" and Kaia was recognized with the Acquisition International "Transformative Education CEO of the Year 2025 (UK)" award. Beyond her advocacy and business leadership, Kaia is a self-taught, multi-medium creative and "accidental poet". She translates her activism into "joyful, yet political, pieces" that call for community healing and direct action, with her artwork and poetry featured in publications and exhibitions and collaborations with organizations like Grazia and The Guardian.
@kaia.ab | www. kaiaab.com www. youththegap.uk
With breakout sessions facilitated by this year's Future Creative Leaders cohort.
After the panel, the room breaks into smaller conversations — facilitated by young people from the Future Creative Leaders programme. Bring your questions, your stories, and your truth.
Part of our Future Creative Leaders (FCL), We, Generate programme for Brighton Festival 2026. Featuring live events, conversations, and a youth takeover, it’s a space for experimentation and community.
Date: Saturday, 9 May 2026
Times: Doors: 3PM. Event: 4-6PM
Location: Brighton Youth Centre, 64 Edward Street, Brighton, BN2 0JR (map)
Tickets: £5. Booking Required.
Age: 14+ Aimed at under 30 but OPEN TO ALL as we want a mix of perspectives and generations. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult and will be allocated a wristband and/or sticker at check-in.
ACCESSIBILITY
This event will be held at Brighton Youth Centre(BYC), 64 Edward Street, Brighton, BN2 0JR (map). Following a major 2023–2025 redevelopment, BYC is a fully accessible building. It features a new accessible lift, wheelchair-accessible entrances, and specialised spaces to support diverse needs. Contact BYC directly for any questions around specific access requirements. Call 01273 681368 (office open Mon - Fri 12 - 6 pm) or email [email protected].
CODE OF CONDUCT
We are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, supportive environment for all. We ask that everyone follow our code of conduct, which you can read here.
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO DURING EVENT
Please note that this event will be photographed/filmed. If you prefer not to be photographed, please speak to a member of the Lighthouse team. The photographs and film we capture at our events are used for marketing and promotional purposes for our programme only and are stored securely.
ABOUT OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
Innovate UK, Chalk Cliff Trust, Sussex Community Foundation, Enjoolata Foundation, Brighton Festival and Brighton Youth Centre.
ABOUT LIGHTHOUSE
Lighthouse is a Brighton-based arts charity championing young people aged 16–30 to shape the future of the creative industries. For nearly 40 years, we’ve supported emerging talent, especially those facing systemic barriers, in developing as artists, producers, and creative leaders.
Our programmes place power directly in the hands of young people, pairing digital innovation with community-driven practice to build equitable pathways into the sector.
www.lighthouse.org.uk | @lighthouse_btn