Rebeka (or Beka for short) has been either Administrator or (more recently) Communications Officer for us here at Yorkshire Youth and Music. She's been working at the organisation for 17 years, and in December she'll be leaving us for pastures new!

Beka looked after all of the comms for our charity work, including our social media feeds, updating the website, writing our monthly bulletin and generally sharing our news and views. Working for YY&M one day per week, she spent the rest of her time doing more weird and wonderful things. She is leaving us to pursue more of the same...

Beka is to become a full time artist and illustrator based in here in West Yorkshire. Much of her work can be described by the term 'live illustration' and her portfolio includes live drawing (also known as 'scribing' or graphic recording), 2D and 3D illustration, installation and live performance. Her work combines illustration, interactive performance, game design and open source technology in surprising ways. You can explore Beka's artistic work here: https://bekahaytch.uk/

She also works as a multi-disciplinary artist in the (often underestimated) outdoor arts sector. She performs, designs, builds set, puppets and props and also runs her own outdoor theatre company called Frolicked. Frolicked has delighted audiences of all ages at festivals and events across Europe for more than a decade, making magical moments with a range of weird and wonderful creatures and characters...

We're also very pleased to announce that from 2024 - 2026, Beka will be an Associate Artist at the Lowry as part of their Developed With... programme.

Here's what Beka said about working with YY&M:

"After joining YY&M in 2007, and going freelance to do the Comms in 2013, I’ve made the very difficult decision to leave the organisation in December. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for everything that YY&M has offered to me over the last 17 years. To all the staff, facilitators and the young people we've worked with past and present, I'm indebted to you all.

I want to specifically offer my gratitude to Gail Dudson and Janette Randerson for your generosity in inviting me to learn about all aspects of YY&M’s work. It has undoubtedly had a positive impact on the projects I’ve delivered outside of YY&M and I will always be grateful for the investment that Gail in particular has put into my development as a professional in the arts. This organisation and the people here have had a hugely important impact on my life."

"This organisation and the people here have had a hugely important impact on my life."

"I'll miss you, YY&M!"