CREATIVE teens are being encouraged to get involved in preparations for this year’s Cowley Road Carnival.

A new project, Cowley XChange, has been set up to train young people to design and run workshops at this year’s carnival, Oxfordshire’s biggest free public event.

In the run-up to the carnival on Sunday, July 3, four young leaders from the Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership Trust are running sessions for 14- to 19-year-olds on Tuesdays at St Gregory the Great School in Cricket Road.

The teenagers will learn about different carnival traditions around the world, then think about how to use their own skills to share with people on carnival day.

Caroline Moore, 23, is one of the people running the workshops.

Ms Moore said: “We want to empower young people to run and do their own projects and we will be looking at different techniques of celebrating carnival, talking and exploring the subject of carnival and seeing what we could do for the Cowley Road Carnival.

“The idea is to pass on what we have learned on the young leaders programme so they can learn about leadership, teamwork and passing on their own skills.”

Cowley XChange has just been given £300 of funding from O2’s Think Big scheme to help run the workshops.

Cowley Road Carnival spokesman Karen David said: “The carnival is one of the most inclusive and diverse events in the whole community.

“What is really fantastic is when you see community groups such as OYAP doing these kinds of projects under the carnival umbrella.

“It really adds to the benefit of the event.”