Youth Leadership

A four-week programme for young artistic, creative and entrepreneurial leaders to help inspire your sense of purpose, develop your leadership and facilitation skills, support your understanding of global issues and empower your contribution to the world

June 2026

young professional woman at portfolio career workshop summer camp

Youth Leadership for Today

It’s a tough time to navigate the world as a young person. The threats of AI to job security and building your career, to finding your place in a world of tumult and economic instability, to building the necessary skills of creativity, resilience and entrepreneurialism to forge a ‘portfolio’ life that schools rarely prepare students for, it’s never been more important to have the support and inspiration to launch out onto the world stage and play your own unique role.

Building on our founder’s background in theatre and entrepreneurship, this unique programme is for both leaders in the arts and young people forging their own path in an uncertain professional landscape. Taking the central belief that we all need to be ‘creative leaders’ of our own future, this programme will give you the skills and tools to confidently lead entrepreneurial projects and take charge of your own future, whilst developing a deeper understanding of your unique gifts to the world and how you can forge a productive and fulfilling career.

Over the four-week period, you will co-lead a participatory arts project in the local community, learning the skills of leadership and facilitation, in concert with outstanding individuals from around the world. Alongside this, you will have the opportunity to benefit from Caroline Watson’s unique coaching and personal development programme that helps you identify your personal vision and purpose, build a ‘portfolio’ career that gives you multiple strings to your bow to ensure financial stability, practice interview and presentation skills, and come away with a set of ‘assets’ that can be used to market yourself professionally.

The programme is designed in two separate and complementary strands:

Service leadership project

Working with a local underserved community to deliver an arts-based intervention on issues around global citizenship and environmental and social responsibility. Participants will co-lead the sessions in the morning or afternoon of each day, with leadership and facilitation training given to support the development of the programme. Each participant will have the opportunity to build on their own creative or artistic background to make their own unique contribution to the project and enable them to draw out their own leadership skills in this area.

Even for those young people who don’t consider themselves artistic in the traditional sense (although we are confident we will help you find your own unique creative expression!), there are multiple roles to fill in project management, logistics, operations, communications and branding, social media, event management, hospitality, development work and education.

Purpose, vision, public speaking and branding

Specific skills development needed for personal leadership and mastery over your career and life path through a combination of work on getting clarify on personal vision and purpose; support with building a ‘portfolio’ life that maximises both strengths and personal interests, as well as create a solid financial base for the future; public speaking to ensure individuals are able to present themselves well in face-to-face interactions; interview technique to showcase what makes you unique; ‘leading upwards’ to enroll others in a vision or persuade them to hire you; storytelling and personal branding to ensure alignment with written communications and social media.

Evenings will be dedicated to social and cultural activities and personal mentoring.

Personal Branding and Website

Additionally, we are offering the opportunity for participants to have their own personal website and social media strategy, to help you stand out from the crowd and enable you to immediately have a platform to monetise the skills learnt during the programme, setting you up for either job or college applications or new entrepreneurial adventures.

Participants will also be given the opportunity to take part in weekend excursions to the Pyrénée mountains, the Basque coast or for cultural trips to Pau and the surrounding Jurancon wine region

You will come away with these tangible outputs

An introduction to the human-centered, 21st century skills of creative thinking and resilience, cross-cultural competence, flexibility and agility, leadership and social influence, curiosity and lifelong learning, that you will need to navigate the future and what you can do to continually learn and improve on those skills throughout your life
Solid skills in theatre and workshop facilitation, project management and event leadership, useful to those forging a career in the arts, but also those interested in youth leadership, corporate consulting, education, social justice and activism. An opportunity to explore new ways of thinking about power that are more reflective of the world to come, whilst improving your interpersonal, presentation and verbal communication skills
A deeper knowledge and appreciation of how important an entrepreneurial mindset is going to be for the future of work and what you can do to build your entrepreneurial ‘muscle’ to be prepared - seeking out opportunities, leading your own path and taking leadership over your career
An understanding of your ‘artistic’ and creative voice, whether that’s literally navigating a creative career, or using the tools of an artist to let go and be comfortable with uncertainty, ambiguity and change, to feel empowered and inspired to imagine a different future as the ‘architect’ of a beautiful life.
Support to take charge of your mental health and well-being, a deeper awareness of the enormous potential you hold within yourself and the self-confidence and belief to know you can achieve anything you set out to do
Tools to give you agency over your future and the direction of our world, being an ‘activist’ leader for the changes we need to see
A practical roadmap for the next steps in your life and career, with the leadership skills to communicate clearly what you want and have to offer
Solid skills in website development and social media, confident communication and presentation sills, personal branding and storytelling, and an understanding of how to use social media in a productive and empowered way to build your personal and professional presence
A CV or resume of your skills and vision for your career that could be used in interviews etc, as well as a website and social media plan (optional)
Practice in interview technique and how to project authority and confidence to enable you to be taken seriously as a professional

And, of course, having had a restorative and regenerating rest in a beautiful location, building your personal and professional network, that will feed your soul and remind you of the awe and majesty of the natural world!

Welcome to Clos de Gaye!

Clos de Gaye (pronounced ‘guy’) means ‘Place of Joy’ and it is at once a private home, a residential retreat, a creative and artistic workspace, organic farm, community kitchen, restaurant and tea house, and a convening ground for global leaders, artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and all those charged with the care and governance of our planet. Think of it as the meeting point between the Bloomsbury set’s Charleston and Camp David. It is a place to stay, to play, to share and to transform our world.

The spirit of Clos de Gaye is one of contribution, generosity and accountability. Those that have a seat of the table have arrived there through hard work and a genuine desire to be of service to the world. Time spent here is for you to reflect on what has been achieved so far and to be a springboard into future leadership and the continued desire to be a force for good in the world.

Deep in the heart of the French countryside, embedded in the ‘old world’ rises a new way of thinking about the future. The best of European heritage, beauty and aesthetic, with interiors from all over the world, reflecting our founder’s upbringing in Asia, and bringing energy, dynamism and a sense of inclusion of the new world.

An opportunity to reclaim the very best of European culture and values, with a renewed way of thinking about its relationship with the rest of the world, restoring humanity to everyone.

Accommodation will be provided in our luxury bell tents on the Clos de Gaye estate, complete with futon-style beds and personal touches. With access to toilets and shower rooms in the main house, and compostable toilets for midnight trips!

All meals are prepared using fresh, local, and often organic ingredients, sourced either from our cottage garden or from local providers in the Béarn and Basque regions. Halal, kosher or other dietary needs can be catered for on request.

Our spaces are unique, artistic and soulful.

The programme is lead by Caroline Watson, actor, director, and visionary founder of The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, and the Global Arts Impact Agenda. An award-winning entrepreneur, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (Davos), Caroline is passionate about supporting young people on their journey to self-discovery and knows a thing or two personally about the mental and physical barriers that can often threaten to stand in the way of you finding your own voice. As a young person with creative and artistic dreams, and a strong streak of entrepreneurialism, she had to navigate the ups and downs of forging a unique path in the world, often facing opposition from those around her in following her dreams.

Alongside being a mother to three young children, Caroline also has three step children in their early 20s so knows first-hand the challenges and opportunities facing young people today.

Caroline believes that the current challenges we are facing in the world offer an opportunity for young people to lead in unique and compelling ways, whilst also building the necessary entrepreneurial skills to navigate huge uncertainty in the future of work. With courage and conviction, Caroline will inspire you to realise you are in control of your own destiny and have you leaving the camp fully believing in your potential for an amazing life!

Sample Weekly Schedule

Sunday

Arrival in Pau and transfer to Clos de Gaye
Getting to know you: Introduction to The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, Clos de Gaye, and to each other
Team-building games
Dinner at Clos de Gaye
Monday

8am Breakfast
9am Transfer to community site
10am to 12pm Community workshop: Getting to know you
12pm Brown bag lunch and debrief
1pm Transfer to Clos de Gaye
2pm Finding Your Vision and Purpose
4pm Afternoon tea
4.30pm Free time
7pm Dinner and Games Night
Tuesday

8am Breakfast
10am - 12pm Community workshop: “Frozen Pictures” and Images of Transformation
1pm Lunch
2 - 4pm Lifelong Learning and 21st Century Skills
4pm Afternoon tea
4.30pm Free time
7pm Dinner and Evening Talk
Wednesday

8am Breakfast
10am - 12pm Community Workshop: Group Character Creation
12pm Transfer back to Clos de Gaye
1pm Lunch
2 - 4pm Entrepreneurship and the Future of Work
4pm Transfer to Pau for visit to the Chateau of Pau
Free time in Pau
8pm Dinner in Pau
Thursday

8am Breakfast
10am - 12pm Community Workshop: Scenario Building Part 1
1pm Lunch
2- 4pm Leadership and Facilitation Skills
4pm Afternoon Tea
4.30 pm Free Time
7pm Dinner and Movie Night
Friday

8am Breakfast
9am Transfers
10am - 12pm Community Workshop: Scenario Building Part 2
12pm Transfers
1pm Lunch at Clos de Gaye
2 - 4pm Confident Communication and Presentation Skills
4pm Afternoon Tea
4.30pm Free Time
7pm Dinner and Campfire
Saturday

Hiking the Pic du Midi d’Ossau
Picnic Lunch
Evening BBQ

Getting Here

From your home to Clos de Gaye

Clos de Gaye is situated less than 20 minutes away from both Pau airport and train station in south west France. We are also 50 minutes away from Tarbes/Lourdes airport. Biarritz, Bordeaux and Toulouse are all between 1 - 2 hours drive or train ride. International visitors are advised to transition in Paris and can also opt to then take either a flight or the train directly to Pau.

Dates

Come together with young people from all over the world to take part in transformative learning programmes, workshops, discussions, and experiences that will change the world.

Sunday 31st May to Saturday 27th June

Investment

5000 euros including all tuition, shared ‘glamping’ accommodation, all meals and selected weekend excursions and activities.

1000 euros for personal website and branding (optional extra)

For successful participants there is also an opportunity to extend your practice by helping to co-facilitate our July and August ‘Healing for Humanity’ summer camps, that bring together award-winning artists with families from around the world, with all meals and accommodation included free of charge for you.

As a socially-entrepreneurial for-profit company, choosing to work with The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership creates employment opportunities for artists and creatives, supports low-income and marginalised communities to also take part in extraordinary experiences at Clos de Gaye and elsewhere in the world, so your participation in this retreat also enables others to benefit from the life-transforming effects of our programmes.

Terms and Conditions

The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership reserves the right to change guest artists and facilitators should circumstances dictate.

All programme fees are non-refundable. In the event of an unexpected event that is out of the Centre’s control, we will offer you a replacement offer of similar value.