A Promise for Change
International Youth Day Manifesto
Foreword
By Abigail Hutchison, Chair of Nottingham City of Literature’s Youth Advisory Board My journey began with the Mouthy Poetry collective at the age of nine in the Neville studio of Nottingham Playhouse, and now 10 years later, manifests in many different ways. Nottingham City of Literature (NUCoL) has been a big part of my journey in enabling me to explore the importance of inclusivity within the creative sector. I first began my journey with them at age 15 as part of the Young Ambassadors project. After this project I applied for the NUCoL Youth Advisory Board, which I now chair. Over the past two years the opportunity to plan, attend and run meetings in this capacity has consolidated for me the importance of youth voice. I have seen first hand what happens when young people themselves are given trust and opportunity to combat issues for young people and can say it is truly beautiful. An example which is close to my heart is Speak Easy. Speak Easy is a spoken word collective I co-founded and now host and run, it is held at Nottingham Playhouse and aims to practise what it preaches: allowing people to speak freely and easily without the fear of judgement. This project is supported by Nottingham Playhouse, NUCoL and Writing East Midlands. It is very important to me as it is held in the place it all began: the Neville studio. I truly believe that projects such as this are only possible because of organisations like NUCoL and those alike. Without their support a project that now helps many individuals would have been nothing more than an idea. To me this is a quintessential reason as to why days like International Youth Day are necessary. We are living in a time where a refusal to listen to the voices of the youth is a way of setting up to fail. On International Youth Day, young people were given the opportunity to look at the manifesto for change with a critical eye and adapt, edit and re-word policies and actions that they believed inaccurately represented the voice of young people. As the Chair of the Board, I also ensured time was given in our meetings to do the same. To me this manifesto for change is so much more than a document: to me it is a promise that our generation may have the chance to positively impact the lives of young people for generations to come.
International Youth Day 2022 What is International Youth Day? On the 17th December 1999, the United Nations declared the 12th August International Youth Day. UNESCO sees that young people are essential in finding solutions to the issues faced in the world today. They must be given the opportunity to engage in social development and be supported in this work by their communities.
What is Nottingham City of Literature? Since 2015, Nottingham has been a UNESCO City of Literature, with a mission to build a better future with words. The city’s designation enables Nottingham City of Literature to use the power of words to transform lives, create new opportunities and establish Nottingham as a leading destination for lovers of literature.
What is the UNESCO Creative Cities Network? The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that have identified creativity as a key driver of change. The 246 cities which currently make up this network work together towards advocating for creativity and cultural industries, both locally and internationally. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Music, Media Arts, and Literature.
The spaces we create. What?
Access and inclusivity MUST be genuine. It should not be a second thought.
Why?
Creativity is for everyone if you do not make spaces OPEN TO EVERYONE. Consider all types of barriers: physical, social, and mental health. We must include all members of our community. People with additional access arrangements make up a huge part of our society and their voices are heard less because of inaccessible spaces. The arts and cultural scene can feel intimidating to people who are new to the scene or who do not see themselves represented within the creative community. A lack of familiarity and representation will exclude people from getting involved.
How?
Have a full and inclusive consideration of people with disabilities. This must shape the space an event happens in. Train your team. They must understand how to support people with additional access requirements. This is the organisation’s responsibility. Every member of your team needs training. This includes training on neurodiversity and mental well-being. Provide inclusive mobility access. Consider all mobility aids. Remember not everyone with additional access requirements will use an aid. Mobility access is not just how we move about the space. Workshops must provide accessible tools, exhibitions must have information displayed at multiple heights, communication differences must be taken into account. Make spaces a multi-sensory environment. Ensure there is audio description, tactile text and objects to touch and feel. Think about how you communicate with your audience. Both digitally and within spaces. Font sizing, styles, paper, language itself. Explore support schemes. Like an access card for example. Free caregiver tickets should also be part of the offer. This gives someone with additional access requirements the support they need. No one who needs an additional element to enjoy culture should have to pay more. Mental well-being needs to shape your environment. Consider a designated well-being space: open, welcoming and safe - a space you can use to make young people feel comfortable. Be approachable. A team member in uniform can feel unfriendly and impersonal, but a name tag is important. This should include their pronouns and any languages spoken including British Sign Language (BSL). This makes team members feel more approachable.
What Next? • • •
•
Consider people’s first contact with the space: first impressions matter. If your target audience is young people, they should be employed in those spaces. Reflect your audience in your team. You can shape an existing space around accessibility for young people, which listens to and responds to their asks and needs. Or create a new space, with young people at the centre of its development. Organisations should make it standard that accessibility is a part of their offer.
If we don’t know, we can’t go. What?
Making information about events, opportunities and resources open and available to everyone.
Why?
Young people new to the local community or the arts and cultural scene may not know where to look for events and opportunities. Young people need to know what we have the ability to do or organise ourselves. What resources are available to us? When information is more available, it benefits more people. • Accessible information creates inclusive spaces. It allows for more diverse voices to be heard. • More voices means more connections. It invites collaboration across communities and builds peer networks. Accessible information can also help individuals. • It opens up spaces and communities, combating loneliness. • It can support health and wellbeing, opening up support networks. • Open information provides a sense of belonging. You feel a valued member of a community and not excluded.
How?
Information should: • Be easy to find, in places where people live, learn and socialise. It should be in a language that people understand. Go into young people’s spaces in a meaningful way. • Be relevant. Programming needs to reflect the needs and wants of its intended audience. Information should: • Provide people with everything they need to organise or attend cultural events. • Be clear about what is available: things to do, places to go, groups to join.
Information should: • Be easy to find, in places where people live, learn and socialise. It should be in a language that people understand. Go into young people’s spaces in a meaningful way. • Be relevant. Programming needs to reflect the needs and wants of its intended audience. Information should: • Provide people with everything they need to organise or attend cultural events. • Be clear about what is available: things to do, places to go, groups to join. Information should: • Be shared with people that make a difference in young people’s lives: trusted contacts, voices, and catalysts. • From multiple sources and trusted information points. When coming from an education setting, information should be shared with people with a pastoral role. • Be age targeted: 14-17, 18-25, parents and carers. Don’t generalise or patronise. Information should: • Be immediately available. Information is not accessible if you have to search for it. • Be brought to people who wouldn’t normally look for cultural events, or don’t know where to look. This includes students new to the community and younger teenagers developing their own sense of independence. Accessible information will allow young people to engage in creative culture and to be creative themselves. • Many young people use social media but it can become an echo chamber. Information can be invisible if it is controlled by algorithms. Different apps are used by different people for different purposes. The majority of young people use Instagram, TikTok and Facebook event pages. • Considerations must be made for young people who do not use social media, either due to limited access or personal choice. Texts can be a good alternative. The best way to engage with us is WORD OF MOUTH and PRESENCE IN YOUNG PEOPLE’S SPACES. • Engage with us directly in schools/colleges/universities, youth spaces, cafes, skateparks and local venues. • Have your organisation represented in the community. Authentic conversations with team members can help people with deep social anxieties and can create a genuine connection with your organisation.
Venues, producers, education providers, and organisations must listen to what young people want. •
•
This can be achieved by involving young people within your consultation process. Or by forming a youth board. Youth boards must be a visible and relevant part of your organisation. They must not be tokenistic. Youth boards must be inclusive and reflect a diverse recruitment of participants for any and all youth voice initiatives. These boards should also create an understanding of fair compensation to their members, including fair pay. There must be no “terms and conditions” for young people to be present and valued.
What Next?
We ask for more venues to actively collaborate in young people’s programming. We ask for a shared point of access: a named venue and organisational contacts for Nottingham. We ask for a request form for young people to complete and send in asking for: • Equipment • Space • Mentorship • Support We ask for a “how to” guide to be created which offers practical steps for how to hold or promote an event for young people by young people. We recognise the importance of parents, carers and mentors in the lives of young people who provide access and understanding of cultural spaces from an early age. We also recognise the importance of discovering cultural spaces through educational settings. The importance of school trips must be emphasised. Information must be available to young people for whom culture is not easily available. Efforts must be made to support young people who do not access arts and culture at home. Support must also be available to those who have barriers to participation through school or who are outside of mainstream education settings.
Investing in our creative careers What?
More than ever, financial barriers are obstructing young people from creating and engaging with the arts.
Why?
The arts cannot be inclusive and fair when there are barriers. Communities become excluded and everyone suffers because of this. •
• •
Many young people have little expendable income that can be spent on accessing arts and culture. Financial support in engaging with the arts is often cut off from young people once they turn 18. This means that very few early career creatives and young professionals from diverse communities can access the support they need to kick start their career. Young people are often asked to work for free. Age is not an excuse to not pay someone for their work. Young people have a right to fair and equal pay Many young creatives do not have access to independent living or working spaces. There is no opportunity to meet other creatives and build peer networks. Accessible and collaborative working environments need to be available to young people. • Events are often coordinated in a way that excludes young people from attending. Events need to take place at a time that means young people who are in education, and those who work unsocial hours, can attend. Opportunities need to take place in spaces that are accessible for young people. If it is too expensive, impractical or unapproachable to access, young people will not attend.
How?
Opportunities and initiatives that offer practical support to young people within the arts and cultural sector need to be made available. These need to be clearly signposted. We need to know: • What free opportunities are available and what financial support is available when necessary. • What resources are available that allow us to work independently. • Who to talk to about developing ourselves and our ideas in arts organisations in the city. • Accessible training and information on how to set up our own projects and events
What Next? • • • • •
•
• •
Young people must receive fair pay for their work. We would like more discounted opportunities to experience arts and culture. These opportunities should be coupled with access to reduced travel tickets for buses and trams to enable us to attend. Access to free work spaces and a peer network to support the development of our creative and professional careers. Free or low-cost mentorship must be made available to young people in order to better equip them in the initial stage of their career. Organisations need to have an understanding of how mental health can be a barrier to participation. The creation of support networks and pastoral care must be available within all schemes set up to include young people. Representation of diverse communities must be present on all levels of your organisation. Young people within your team itself will break down social barriers that can make your organisation feel inaccessible. Make the first step of engagement easier with 2 for 1 ticket deals, bring-a-friend discounts or newcomer discounts. For many young people, the first step is often the hardest. Provide social opportunities for all members of the creative community to meet with each other, share opportunities and explore ideas.
Central Library What?
We believe a world-class central library for the city is a key part of us making the most of the rich literary heritage and current creative talent Nottingham has.
Why?
We want the new Central library to be in the heart of the city, and used to showcase high quality culture for and from our diverse community.
How?
Nottingham’s new Central Library should: • Give a warm welcome to all people wanting to come and read, learn or use the library’s facilities. • Be fully accessible to all members of the wider community, regardless of any additional access requirements. • Reflect the diversity of Nottingham and its communities in the staff at all levels of the service. This includes Front of House, management and project roles. • Have a well-resourced stock of books and other facilities that users need/want. Facilities should include device and equipment loans such as: laptops with photoshop and music editing software, cameras and filming equipment, recording equipment including microphones. • Clear access points for information about what is happening for all the library’s users in Nottingham. • Build on the positive examples that Nottingham City Council has delivered before, like StorySmash, in creating high quality learning and engagement programmes for young people. • Host high-quality events and workshops that can be co-produced with users. • A place to purchase affordable refreshments or a communal kitchen.
What Next?
We ask that the new Central Library: • Offer sanitary products at a low cost/no cost to those who need them with dignity. This is currently offered by a number of venues in the city, including Nottingham Playhouse, the National Justice Museum and Nonsuch Studios. • Have a late opening at least once per month, providing a safe and comfortable space for young people to collaborate and programme their own workshops and learning. • Host inviting community events including workshops, talks, and community marketplaces or swaps. • The library should have clear links and guidance from organisations which support young people’s mental health needs. • Include young people within the consultation period of developing projects.
Summary
Organisations should: • Make it standard that accessibility is a part of their offer. Accessibility must span digital and physical spaces, and consider physical, neurodiverse and social barriers. • Listen to the needs of young people and let that shape their work and programming • Provide clear, relevant and accessible information on how we can engage in the arts and cultural scene, both alongside organisations and independently. • Trust us to lead in our communities. • Invest in us through training and mentoring.
Afterword By Shakira Hamilton This manifesto holds the voices of Nottingham’s talent: students, mentors and champions of the city alike. These are the people that want to create change within the streets they walk daily, those who want to see positivity thrive and safe spaces flourish. In order to become a city that treats their young people as leaders, we must see them as such, listen to their worries, their ideas and dreams for their generation and the next. International Youth Day has been a conversation starter for young people and older generations alike encouraging them to leave a positive impact on the world during their lifetime. Recognised globally and supported by some of the most influential organisations across the UK, International Youth Day allowed for young people to raise awareness of the struggles, wants and needs of their cohort. Not only will this manifesto benefit the young people of Nottingham now and those to come, but our hope is that it will also pave the way for cities around the UK, setting an example of what genuine inclusivity and intergenerational solidarity look like. It is of utmost importance for us to represent those who typically don’t get a say in changes that influence their daily lives. Proving that we are not just beneficiaries but advocates, game changers and future leaders.
I am Emerging A collective poem by young people International Youth Day 2023
I am emerging in the rain. Today I showed the sky my umbrella and put it back in my bag. I am emerging into hills, mountains, lakes and oceans. I am emerging from a challenging period through the world of creativity and imagination. I am emerging, two hands clearing the chest, baring the heart, an offering, sacrifice, loving the mouth bloody stillness in quiet consummation, communion in the act of setting in the spirit. I am emerging without any doubt in my mind that I have made a mistake. I am emerging from a place that trapped me for so long. I am emerging and I can breathe again. I am emerging and I won’t let myself fall back. I am emerging into a palace of my own making. And it’s mainly made of bookshelves. I am emerging like an adult tooth raw around the edges but locked in for life. I am emerging like a really tall ladder from the top window of a really tall building. From small worlds into bigger ones. Concentric circles increasing in size. I am emerging from the cold, shaking off the icy rigor mortis and giving life to my frozen heart once more. I am emerging a snowdrop -quaint and unassuming- the first flower. But soon, I’ll be emerging into all the bountiful colours of spring. I am emerging from my scared, confused younger self, out of the darkness.
Image by David Talhadas
Concrete Pages By Cara Thompson
These streets are concrete pages. We hop from block to block, dancing over ancient cracks and daring to pound our stories into the cement. Can you feel their weight? These potholed pages of old, Clamped down by the heavy footfall of Clumber Street cliques and Merry Men, Punching down like paperweights, Petrified like lions who have lost their roar? It’s so easy to forget your place in a book this big. For your words to get lost between the gaping lines. And yet this city can’t stop talking. I stare at the cracks in this troubled ground and smile at the scars they’ve left behind, like coffee rings, the cobbled legacy of countless nights spent hunched over quills, typewriters, and tablets, of marching and marker-stained fingers from our bold picket signs. These coffee ring cracks are a promise, A reminder that I am a part of a creative, caffeinated, inextinguishable army, a generation of word-wielding warriors who sheath their pens on their hips like swords, and hoist their iPhones in the air like shields. Yes, these streets are concrete pages But I am not afraid to turn them.
Contributors This manifesto was produced in collaboration by the young people of Nottingham on International Youth Day 2022. A special thanks to… Angel, Esther, Lily, Louise, Christy, Ashley, Xiaoyu, Shakira, Abigail, Becky, Roma, Jinghan, Lin, Shijie, Mellonie, Masie, Olivia and Alicja. Edited by Eleanor Flowerday and Gareth Morgan. Illustrated by Raphael Achache
With thanks to our funders: Arts Council England, Nottingham City Council, English PEN’s Common Currency programme, Diana Bosworth, David Hallett, and Patrick Limb. And our supporters in the project: University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham City Libraries, The Mighty Creatives, City Arts, Nonsuch Studios, ChalleNGe Cultural Education Partnership and Ignite! Futures.
We Want Your Feedback! contactus@nottmcityoflit.org
nottmcityoflit
NottinghamCityOfLiterature