Our Impact

The art of making a difference

Our impact

Our impact reaches across classrooms, cultures, and communities worldwide

For nearly 50 years, ISTA has inspired creativity and connection through theatre and the arts. Our ensemble approach empowers young people and educators to collaborate, think critically, and make a difference in their communities.

At the heart of our work is a belief that the arts can transform lives, strengthen communities, and build understanding across cultures.

Explore our events
Explore our events

Our reach

Global impact through transformative learning

  • 2,000Young people attend our events annually
  • 355+Educators trained through our professional development
  • 250+Member schools and organisations
  • 60+Global events run every year

What the research shows

ISTA events spark creativity, confidence, and collaboration, creating lasting impact through the arts

Agency

Empowering agency and confidence

ISTA’s Ensemble Method gives students and teachers the tools to lead, create, and make meaningful choices. Across our 60+ events each year, participants move from guided inquiry to independent expression, building confidence, authorship, and the collaborative skills needed for change-making.

The Ensemble Method
The Ensemble Method

Community

Building community and cultural connection

At ISTA events, our global participants form ensembles that model inclusion, empathy, and shared purpose. Through creating and learning together, they form lasting friendships, deepen cultural understanding, and join a global network of artists and educators.

See our events
See our events

Learning

Learning through immersion and reflection

Our research-informed pedagogy helps participants learn through theatre: by doing, reflecting, and adapting in real time. Teachers gain strategies they apply immediately, and students discover new ways to learn and lead.

Read the research
Read the research

Global connections

Partnerships that inspire

A few of the partnerships that embody our mission to connect young people through the arts and inspire dialogue around identity, resilience, justice, and social change.

Kenya · 2025

Still I Rise, Nairobi

In March 2025, through the support of the Dinos Global Legacy Fund, ISTA welcomed three students from Still I Rise to participate as Young Creative Leaders at our Nairobi Middle School CONNECT Festival. These students engaged in one-to-one mentoring with ISTA artists and led ensemble work throughout the festival, modelling confidence, creativity, and leadership.

Following the event, ISTA artists visited the Still I Rise school to deliver theatre workshops to over 180 students and provide professional learning for educators working in challenging conditions.

Learn about Still I Rise
Learn about Still I Rise

In their words

What young people and teachers tell us

I valued the cross-cultural experience that students and staff had, where all involved could learn from people with different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. The students were positively affected by this and have shown a change in their attitude and approach in the classroom.
TeacherFRAME, Jakarta
Other events that take me away from home usually make me homesick, but at ISTA I was having so much fun that I forgot I was homesick.
StudentMiddle School Festival, Singapore
I learnt how to be independent in a different country, how to collaborate with people and how to have fun and make friends while doing important tasks. I will remember the way it all came together in the showcase: the learning, the fun and the magical experience.
StudentMiddle School Festival, Singapore
The workshop leaders were passionate about their art and that read to the students, and they left the festival with inspiration to take into their own assessments.
TeacherTAPS, Singapore
I learned that it's good to work with different people because then you have different perspectives, and that you need to be open-minded, because other ideas make the performance better.
StudentMiddle School Festival, Sicily
My students got to see professional productions and then ask the director questions afterwards. What a great opportunity!
TeacherTAPS, London
I learnt a lot, I created strong bonds, and everything I learnt I can link to the IB Diploma.
StudentTAPS Ignite, London
You can express yourself through the arts in so many different ways, and no matter where you are from, you can still make really good connections with people.
StudentMiddle School Festival, Sicily

Support ISTA

Join us in shaping the future of arts education

Your support helps ISTA:

  • Expand access to the arts

    Bring high-quality arts experiences to young people and educators worldwide, empowering creativity, connection, and change through the arts.

  • Inspire the next generation

    Support the artists, teachers, and creative leaders who will build a more connected, compassionate world.

Make a donation
Make a donation