A school place isn’t the only way in.
Explore the creative briefs and register through an appropriate adult if you are under 18.
Join as an individualThe Open Pod
Your voice belongs here.
Individual students. Church groups. Community youth organisations. A wider circle of young creatives, with a supported route into the festival.
Download the guide · PDF ↓Bring the group you already belong to.
Churches, youth clubs and community organisations can begin with a named adult representative.
Join as a youth group01 / A wider circle of young voices
Who can express interest
The Open Pod welcomes individual students outside the core school cohort and community youth groups, including churches and community-based youth organisations. Earlier operational documents use the name Open Studio Pod.
Start with a responsible adult
Under-18s should ask a parent, guardian, authorised teacher or responsible youth-group representative to register using the adult’s contact details. Students aged 18 or 19 may register themselves. The Secretariat confirms age suitability, group scope and the supervision route before entry.
What to prepare
Choose a creative question and explore the current briefs. Use original work, fiction, metaphor or public themes. You do not need to disclose personal experiences or submit private journals. The individual pathway includes an elective response and a U1 companion response; the exact group allocation is agreed during onboarding.
What the waitlist means
Interest is welcome now. Entry limits, deadlines, age-specific arrangements and selection are confirmed during onboarding. The older provisional individual cap is not a public promise of available places. Planned for three consecutive days during the First Term 2027 mid-term break in Harare. Exact dates, final venues, fees and submission deadlines will be announced. Joining a waitlist is free and does not reserve a place.
02 / How contributions reach the festival
1 Join the Open Pod waitlist
Choose individual student or community youth group. Tell us the adult contact, location, organisation if applicable and creative interest. Do not include student names, health information or private stories in the enquiry.
2 Complete onboarding
The team confirms the responsible adult, appropriate brief, consent and assent, safeguarding route and technical requirements. Community groups need the same care and adult accountability as school groups.
3 Submit through the private route
After the team issues an entry code, the adult can use the contribution portal. A file upload is a private review submission. It does not publish work or create permission for publicity, recording or research.
4 Review and selection
The team checks completeness, rights, consent, safeguarding, artistic fit and capacity. It may request edits, agree private review or decline public display. Approved work receives presentation instructions.
03 / A contribution with care
The submission packet
Final work or an agreed preview; a 150–250-word artist statement; a public caption of no more than 75 words; brief code; rights, sources, collaborators and AI-use declaration; technical needs; adult review and permission references.
Choice stays with the young person
A young person can pass on a topic, choose fiction, use an approved attribution option or ask to withdraw before publication. Public uses have separate choices and practical withdrawal limits explained before approval.
Community leaders
Name a safeguarding contact, use supervised communication and avoid private one-to-one contact between external adults and children. Confirm guardian permissions, participant assent and member-level permissions for group work.
Join the conversation
Register at www.themattersthatcount.org/open-pod. For entry-route questions use the Secretariat contact; do not email confidential support records or completed consent forms without an agreed secure route. Festival Secretariat: tapiwa@nojobsjustwork.com | www.themattersthatcount.org
Begin with a conversation
A place for your voice. A role for your contribution.
Join the waitlist for school participation, the Open Pod, sponsorship or creative contributions.
Join the waitlistNo payment. No commitment. A conversation comes next.