Art-Youth-Culture: FYI

The Arts Council will be inviting a total of 60 young delegates (aged 15-23) to join this three-day series of meetings, arts-based workshops and discussions.

We are seeking groups of 5 delegates (or between 3 and 6 people) from youth-led arts projects, arts programmes, youth service organisations or schools around the country. Young people between the ages of 15 and 17 must apply as part of a group. Young people between the ages of 18 and 23 may choose to apply as individuals or as a group. 

Statement of interest forms for groups and individuals are available to download here:

If you wish to attend as a group, you must submit a Statement of Interest form for your group, as well as individual forms for each member of your group.

Please note: in the case of young people between the ages of 15 and 17, parents’ consent must be provided and a suitably qualified adult leader must accompany the group. Travel and accommodation costs for one adult leader per five delegates aged 15-17 can be offered.

Forms must be completed and returned to the Arts Council by no later than March 12, 2010. Please send your completed forms by email to mathilde.veldt@artscouncil.ie or by post to Mathilde Veldt, Assistant: Young People, Children, and Education, Arts Council, 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.

How will I know if I have a place?

Once all Statement of Interest forms have been received, you or your group will be contacted to confirm your place. In offering places, we will seek to ensure a broad representation of young people from different parts of the country, and with different backgrounds, interests and experiences.  The Statement of Interest forms for groups and individuals are designed to gather information that will assist us in this endeavour.

Are there other ways I can participate in the discussion?

There are several ways to get involved in Art-Youth-Culture: FYI.

An on-line forum will be launched in advance of the three-day event, inviting comments and ideas from all interested parties. If you have an image, video, sound recording, or written comment you would like to share with other young people and with policy makers that relates to young people’s participation in cultural life and the arts, we hope you will participate in the on-line forum.

If you are running a youth arts event of any kind, in or out of school, in the months of March and April 2010, and wish to host a local discussion, workshop or other activity to tie in with Art-Youth-Culture: FYI, please let us know. If you have no event planned, but wish to initiate a discussion, workshop or other activity in your local area, we would also like to hear from you.

All queries and suggestions about how to get involved should be addressed to mathilde.veldt@artscouncil.ie.

If you are a policy-maker with a remit in the area of young people, cultural life and/or the arts, and are interested in participating in this event, please contact: mathilde.veldt@artscouncil.ie.

The rights of young people to participate freely in cultural life and the arts are enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which refers to people of all ages, further affirms these rights.  National legislation in Ireland and EU policies and programmes recognise young people’s rights and the state’s responsibilities to ensure they are protected.

• In practice, how far has Ireland come in ensuring young people have the opportunity to participate freely in cultural life and the arts?
• How might the State best protect young people’s rights to participate in cultural life and the arts in the current difficult economic climate?
• What are the barriers or opportunities for young people who are in full time education to participate in cultural life and the arts?
• Do young people wishing to develop a career in the arts have the necessary supports?

Art-Youth-Culture: FYI invites young people between the ages of 15 and 23 to discuss these and related topics with their peers and with key policy-makers. The event will take place in Dublin and will include three days of arts-based workshops and discussions, concluding with a meeting between young people, arts policy makers, and government representatives. 

The Arts Council is seeking 60 young delegates (aged 15-23) to participate in event. For more information, please see our call for young delegates (0.07 MB, Adobe PDF).

Why now?

In the coming year, the Arts Council will begin to develop a new strategy for the arts in Ireland, including provision for children and young people. As part of this process, the Arts Council wishes to take the opportunity to listen to the views of young people regarding their participation in the arts and cultural life.

The Arts Council recognises the need to work in partnership with other key government agencies, local authorities, educators, parents and young people to ensure young people’s rights in the area of cultural life and the arts can be enjoyed by all young people in Ireland. Art-Youth-Culture: FYI seeks to stimulate discussion among young people and key policy makers about this issue.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.