Book onto Nottingham’s International Youth Day 2023 events: Book Here
About 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.
International Youth Day creates opportunities to engage in conversation for young people and older generations, 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 allows for young people to raise awareness of the struggles, wants and needs of their cohort.
Québec City of Literature – “Première ovation – Arts Littéraires” and “Une ville un livre”
“Première Ovation – Arts littéraires” supports emerging literary artists in a creative project and gives them a concrete learning experience. The programme helps integrate new authors into the professional scene. It takes into account the opportunities on the job market, the expertise available in the Québec city region, existing educational programmes and the individual needs of the authors. At the end of the programme, these emerging literary artists will have developed a personal or collective literary project, furthered their knowledge of the literary world, acquired new professional skills and made a number of contacts on the field.
“Une ville un livre” is a recurring project that encourages all to read the same book. For the 2023 edition, Québec turned towards children’s literature and asked for submissions of novels for young readers aged 10-12 from books shops and librarians. Children were involved in interviewing the finalists and promoting the winning novel. 900 books were then distributed to primary schools across the city. This was the first edition of Une ville un livre to be centred around children’s literature and to involve young people in the process. The authors also visited certain classes, allowing the children to feel implicated and to be inspired to read and write.
Première Ovation – Read More Une Ville Un Livre – Read More
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Iowa City of Literature – One Book Two Book Children’s Literature Festival
Iowa City’s community is very supportive of young people. They know who scores the winning touchdown for City High or the top debaters at Regina. To get to know the best young writers in the community, Iowa City of Literature has been working where the most abundant pool of talent is: in the local area schools, through its annual One Book Two Book Children’s Literature Festival. Like traditional festivals, it offers the chance for attendees to hear from published authors about their work. But more important is its ultimate goal: to champion writing by children.
Edinburgh City of Literature – Super Power Agency
Each year the The Super Power Agency work with hundreds of young people in their writing workshops in Edinburgh. They publish everything the participants write and their goal is to amplify their voices one hundred fold. In 2022-23, 65% of pupils felt their writing improved, 69% of pupils felt more confident in their writing, and 94% of pupils found working with their volunteers helpful.
Dunedin City of Literature – “A Royal Welcome” and “‘Teddy Poems’ and ‘Ted Talks’ by City of Literature South D Poet Lorikeet, Jenny Powell”
“A Royal Welcome”
Dunedin author Emma Wood’s book ‘Tulip and Doug: Friends for (almost) ever’ (Scholastic New Zealand Limited, 2020) was described as a ‘favourite’ and gifted to Prince William for his children by former Prime Minister, Dame Jacinda Ardern, during a meeting at Kensington Palace in 2022. This increased recognition for the author and her work, and provided a platform for greater exposure and to reach a wider audience of young readers.
Emma’s books inspire young readers to develop their own creativity and appreciate the value of diverse close friendships. The books’ relatable, quirky and very funny stories and empowering messages provide young readers in Dunedin and all over the world with a sense of connection and belonging, as they navigate their own lives and friendships.
“‘Teddy Poems’ and ‘Ted Talks’ by City of Literature South D Poet Lorikeet, Jenny Powell”
Dunedin City of Literature was thrilled to publish ‘Teddy Poems’, created by new-entrant school children in free workshops led by City of Literature South D Poet Lorikeet, Jenny Powell. Each group’s poem, inspired by Jenny’s well-worn Teddy, was captured in ‘Teddy Poems’, subsequently gifted to the families of all the participating children to read and reread at home. The book includes photographs of Teddy in various locations around Dunedin.
Jenny has a passion for connecting poetry and literacy, shown in her ‘Ted Talks’
Jenny talks about poetry as a vital aid for young writers – allowing children to develop an array of writing skills and to fall in love with what words can do. ‘Teddy Poems’ illustrates the important part poetry can play in schools, in the reading, writing and imaginations of five-year-olds. The children were proud of their poems – each poem surprising and unique – and couldn’t wait to show their families.
There is more about the ‘Teddy Poems’ here: Read More
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Norwich City of Literature – ‘Lit from the Inside’
The programme for 14 – 17 year olds gave young people in Norfolk the opportunity to explore their creative skills and get valuable, hands-on experience of working in the arts industry.
Norwich City of Literature welcomed young people with all manner of interests; from reading, writing and books to performers, musicians and lovers of crafts who wanted to try their hand at something different.
Nanjing City of Literature – Master One-on-One Counselling Project
This is an important initiative to promote the high-quality development of cultural talent in Nanjing. Phase I of the project (from 2019), invited masters to pair up with young talented people, covering a variety of cultural fields: literature, theatre, intangible cultural heritage, etc. After three years of counselling, the young talented people refined their skills, created works with more profound intentions, and obtained a broader platform.
Phase II will seek for innovative pedagogical methods, invite youth to visit famous universities in Nanjing, organise “Master Lectures” and cross-border art salons, etc. The project aims to make cultural resources accessible for young talented people of the city, to help them create excellent works and to achieve sustainable development of the traditional Chinese culture.
Durban City of Literature – Youth Programmes within the city
Durban City of Literature has created many Youth Programmes within the city some of these include:
- Back to School campaign: Initiative to provide school uniforms to pupils in need. Uniforms empower children to carry out their dreams, because something as small as a lack of a uniform can often be a deterring factor in the lives of children.
- Creatives Arts Programme: Opportunity for different creatives to showcase their artwork, fashion and written work (young Authors). It also encourages young people to heed the call of working within the green economy spaces.
- Youth Talent Show Initiatives: Aimed at exposing various local talent to opportunities for growth and empowering young people within the Arts sector, reaching more than 20,000 young people through various platforms
Seattle City of Literature – Youth Poetry Fellowship
This is a year-long poetry fellowship for youth (ages 14-19), which honours young writers committed to civic and community engagement. Fellows participate in mentor-led workshops that focus on generative writing and community building. One fellow is selected to serve as the Youth Poet Laureate (YPL), a leader within the fellowship that works closely with mentors to publish a book of poems through Poetry NW Editions. The YPL has additional public reading opportunities and serves as a youth voice to the broader literary community.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Arts and Lectures
Nottingham City of Literature – International Youth Day Celebrations 2023
Nottingham City of Literature’s Youth Board is leading the International Youth Day celebrations within the city on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th August.
Friday 11th August, from 1-5pm at Waterstones Nottingham, we will be focusing on creative careers: viable career options, exploring the ‘imposter syndrome’ and creating a career out of creativity. After this event we are moving over to Nottingham Playhouse for a Speak Easy open mic after party between 6-8pm, to celebrate International Youth Day.
Saturday 12th August, 10am-1pm at Waterstones Nottingham, we will encourage young people to get creative and network with others exploring the themes of International Youth Day.
More Information About The Events
Photo by Tom Morley