Nightjar Youth
Many homes, one heartbeat
Want to be the first to know what’s happening? From events and workshops to funding opportunities and creative projects, the Nightjar Newsletter keeps you in the loop. It’s your space to connect, get inspired, and find out how to get involved across Hampshire and beyond.
Join Us!
Nightjar Youth is a safe space for young people aged 16–25 across Hampshire.
We celebrate culture, creativity, and identity.
Whether you call one place home or many, you belong here.
Nightjar Youth is a movement for 16–25 year olds who hold many homes in their hearts. Inspired by the Nightjar bird, who lives between Ghana and the New Forest, we celebrate culture, creativity, and identity through food, craft, politics, hair care, and drumming. Led by African Activities, we’re building safe spaces where your voice matters, your ideas can grow, and your community can thrive. This is your movement — come and be part of it.
“Nightjar Youth gave me a space where I could be myself and meet others who understand.”
Cash
Nightjar Youth isn’t just about ideas — we’ve got funding to help you make them real. Creative Internships, ACS Event Funding, Starter Grants
ACS Resources
We know how hard it can be to run an ACS, we’ve done it. These resources and funding are designed to make your life easier.
Meet
A place to share laughter, food, friendship and support. Sessions designed for you by you – Drumming, bead-making, Adinkra art, hair care, cooking and more.
Why the Nightjar
The Nightjar is a small bird that lives in both West Africa and the New Forest. She spends her life between two homes, flying across continents and carrying both places in her wings. For us, the Nightjar is more than a bird — she’s a symbol. She shows us that you can belong in more than one place, hold many roots, and still be whole.
That’s why she inspired a movement. Nightjar Youth is about creating safe spaces where young people can explore culture, creativity, and identity — without having to choose just one home, one story, or one version of themselves.
Who We Are
Nightjar Youth is led by African Activities, an arts collective rooted in African and Caribbean traditions. We’ve drummed, danced, and created with thousands of schools and communities across the UK. Now, we’re building something new — a space for 16–25 year olds to shape, lead, and grow.
Why Join Us?
Because you deserve a space that celebrates who you are.
A space where we share food, laughter, craft, and politics.
A space where we learn new skills — from drumming to hair care.
A space where your voice matters.
The Nightjar showed us that living between worlds can be powerful. Now we’re asking you to join us and make that power real.
This is your movement. Be part of it.
Club Blog
A walk with Nightjars
Nightjar dusk walk with Maxwell Ayamba We were delighted to welcome environmental campaigner Maxwell Ayamba to the New Forest for a Nightjar evening walk, hosted with colleagues from the New Forest National Park Authority. Joining Maxwell were Kwame Bakoji-Hume,...
Nightjar Youth Board
Launching Nightjar Youth Work Nightjar is growing — and young people are at its heart. We’re thrilled to launch our new Youth Board, led by Nayah, to help guide Nightjar’s future. Alongside this, we are beginning three...
Drums, Stories, and Belonging: Nightjar at Summer Festivals
This summer, Nightjar took to the road, travelling from Thrive Festival to the New Forest Show, from the Mela to Camp Bestival. Everywhere we went, people joined us to drum, dance, and share stories. Highlights included: Families at the New Forest Show telling us “we...
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