9 City of Dreams: enabling children and young people’s cultural participation and civic voice in Newcastle and Gateshead
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Ben Dickenson
Abstract
City of Dreams is a long-term mission to make the conurbation of NewcastleGateshead the ‘best place to be young’ by enabling the local population of children and young people – 168,000 under 25s – to have the opportunity to engage with culture and creativity. As well as enhancing engagement with culture and the creative arts, it also aims to be a platform for children and young people’s voice and to increase their influence in cultural organisations. Through this, City of Dreams seeks to support young people in becoming active and creative citizens who are able to improve their life chances. Established in 2018, City of Dreams is an initiative led by NewcastleGateshead Cultural Venues1 (NGCV is a voluntary partnership of 10 organisations running 20 venues, archives and heritage sites across Tyne and Wear) and which has 53 affiliated organisations drawn from a variety of sectors including voluntary, community and social enterprise, and the arts. This broad base of support evidences the collective intent to create a transformational shift in the way the cultural sector, and indeed cities themselves, engage with young participants and audiences.
The ambition is both risky and brave: the longitudinal vision outstrips all partner organisations’ funding cycles and the initiative has been instituted in a climate of austerity, starkly reflected in Newcastle City Council’s announcement of a 100 per cent cut to its culture budget in 2013 (it has since worked with various agencies to address the situation). The Newcastle decision highlighted the immense pressure local authorities are under to balance their books, and the sharp impact on cultural provision.
Abstract
City of Dreams is a long-term mission to make the conurbation of NewcastleGateshead the ‘best place to be young’ by enabling the local population of children and young people – 168,000 under 25s – to have the opportunity to engage with culture and creativity. As well as enhancing engagement with culture and the creative arts, it also aims to be a platform for children and young people’s voice and to increase their influence in cultural organisations. Through this, City of Dreams seeks to support young people in becoming active and creative citizens who are able to improve their life chances. Established in 2018, City of Dreams is an initiative led by NewcastleGateshead Cultural Venues1 (NGCV is a voluntary partnership of 10 organisations running 20 venues, archives and heritage sites across Tyne and Wear) and which has 53 affiliated organisations drawn from a variety of sectors including voluntary, community and social enterprise, and the arts. This broad base of support evidences the collective intent to create a transformational shift in the way the cultural sector, and indeed cities themselves, engage with young participants and audiences.
The ambition is both risky and brave: the longitudinal vision outstrips all partner organisations’ funding cycles and the initiative has been instituted in a climate of austerity, starkly reflected in Newcastle City Council’s announcement of a 100 per cent cut to its culture budget in 2013 (it has since worked with various agencies to address the situation). The Newcastle decision highlighted the immense pressure local authorities are under to balance their books, and the sharp impact on cultural provision.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables, figures and boxes v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Foreword xv
- Islands of hope in a sea of despair: civil society in an age of austerity 1
- The North East of England: place, economy and people 19
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The public sector and civil society
- The public sector and civil society: introduction 37
- Innovation outside the state: the Glendale Gateway Trust 43
- The Byker Community Trust and the ‘Byker Approach’ 57
- Cafe society: transforming community through quiet activism and reciprocity 73
- ‘Computer Says No’: exploring social justice in digital services 89
- Drive to thrive: a place-based approach to tackling poverty in Gateshead 105
- City of Dreams: enabling children and young people’s cultural participation and civic voice in Newcastle and Gateshead 121
- Are we ‘all in this together’? Reflecting on the continuities between austerity and the COVID-19 crisis 137
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The civic university
- The civic university: introduction 147
- Reinventing a civic role for the 21st century: the cathedral and the university 153
- Realising the potential of universities for inclusive, innovation-led development: the case of the Newcastle City Futures Urban Living Partnership pilot 169
- Future Homes: developing new responses through new organisations 187
- The good, the bad and the disconcerting: a week in the life of university project-based learning for schools 203
- The containment of democratic innovation: reflections from two university collaborations 221
- Citizen power, the university and the North East 235
- So what is a university in any case? A grass-roots perspective on the university and urban social justice 251
- Conclusion: hope in an age of austerity and a time of anxiety 257
- Index 275
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables, figures and boxes v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Foreword xv
- Islands of hope in a sea of despair: civil society in an age of austerity 1
- The North East of England: place, economy and people 19
-
The public sector and civil society
- The public sector and civil society: introduction 37
- Innovation outside the state: the Glendale Gateway Trust 43
- The Byker Community Trust and the ‘Byker Approach’ 57
- Cafe society: transforming community through quiet activism and reciprocity 73
- ‘Computer Says No’: exploring social justice in digital services 89
- Drive to thrive: a place-based approach to tackling poverty in Gateshead 105
- City of Dreams: enabling children and young people’s cultural participation and civic voice in Newcastle and Gateshead 121
- Are we ‘all in this together’? Reflecting on the continuities between austerity and the COVID-19 crisis 137
-
The civic university
- The civic university: introduction 147
- Reinventing a civic role for the 21st century: the cathedral and the university 153
- Realising the potential of universities for inclusive, innovation-led development: the case of the Newcastle City Futures Urban Living Partnership pilot 169
- Future Homes: developing new responses through new organisations 187
- The good, the bad and the disconcerting: a week in the life of university project-based learning for schools 203
- The containment of democratic innovation: reflections from two university collaborations 221
- Citizen power, the university and the North East 235
- So what is a university in any case? A grass-roots perspective on the university and urban social justice 251
- Conclusion: hope in an age of austerity and a time of anxiety 257
- Index 275
