Despite the robust nature of the non-formal learning sector and its importance as an essential deliverer of creative and cultural learning, research on the role of youth creative arts and media organizations as providers of non-formal education is sparse and often charged with documenting best practices among organizations, rather than the impact of the sector as a whole.

The YouthSites project examines the creative arts sector for youth from socially excluded backgrounds in Vancouver, Toronto and London over the last 25 years. We map the youth participation in out-of-school arts learning and investigate the structural relationship between the development of this sector and the changing role and meaning of creative education, as training for employment in the creative and cultural industries has become a priority across the sector.