Youth culture in Kuwait manifests itself in different ways and across various spaces. Often, the form of its manifestation is dependent upon which space we are examining, or which space the youth are participating in. I will examine cultural spaces where creative activities take place and where creative communities gather, be they related to art, theatre, literature, or music. Who is implicitly excluded, who is allowed to participate, and who is actively targeted? Given Kuwait’s demographic makeup and with nationals being a minority, any discussion of ‘youth’ has to also include both the stateless and expatriate communities. My focus will be on the period between 2012 and 2018, to demonstrate the creation of alternative spaces and means of expression following a period of significant political repression. New state-led cultural institutions under the Amiri Diwan have emerged since 2015 and dominated the cultural scene since then. I will demonstrate how they are shaping the ways in which Kuwait’s youth interacts with and is impacted by these spaces, versus nongovernmental creative initiatives. Based on fieldwork carried out over the summer of 2018 in Kuwait, comprised of interviews as well as Arabic and English surveys with a total of 1500 responses, I will address the societal effects of cultural inclusion and exclusion. Kuwait’s expansion of creative spaces must be situated as part of a larger debate on the regression of political rights post-2012. A pattern from my interviews revealed the youth’s loss of faith in political reform, and a choice to redirect their energy towards social change via the cultural sector. Post-2012, a plethora of grassroots cultural initiatives emerged in Kuwait. Around late 2015, the state begins to compete with non-governmental initiatives and introduces its own. It tightens regulations on grassroots cultural spaces, imposing censorship on books, prohibiting dancing at concerts, as well as bureaucratic procedures that private initiatives must follow. Creative spaces can and should be utilized positively, but currently, there is evidence of exclusion, discrimination and marginalization. While the sense of disillusionment with the Parliament suggests another problem, I aim to draw attention to what has captured the youth’s attention in recent years. Through pointing out its positive impacts thus far while also highlighting its shortcomings based on the experiences of individuals and communities who’ve both participated and been excluded, I hope to lead a discussion on moving forward in maximizing creative spaces to build an inclusive youth culture in Kuwait.