This year, the Youth Advisory Board is looking to the future…
International Youth Day 2026: The Tomorrow Archives
A pop-up literary time capsule
What will everyday life, arts & culture, technology, and the cityscape of Nottingham look like in the year 2050? Trams in the sky? Old Market Square turned into an urban jungle? Completely new slang?
This International Youth Day, join the Nottingham City of Literature Youth Advisory Board at Nottingham Central Library for an interactive creative writing pop-up! This is your chance to contribute to a collection of forward-looking letters and poems, addressed to the city’s future residents and Nottingham in 2050. We’re building a living literary time capsule created entirely by the (young) people of Nottingham – and we want your voice in it.
Event Details
Date: Saturday 15th August
Time: 10am to 4pm – drop in anytime!
Location: Nottingham Central Library
Who it’s for: Anyone – no writing experience needed!
Cost: FREE
What to Expect
Whether you want to write a heartfelt prose letter to a future Nottingham resident or drop a punchy 6-word poem, this event is all about fast, accessible creativity:
- Writing stations: Grab a seat at our tables, with a choice of letter-writing or poems – or both! Using pen and paper, respond to creative prompts or use your own imagination to write to a future Nottingham.
- The ‘Speakers Corner’: Finished your piece? Step up and share your letter or poem out loud with everyone! (Completely optional!)
- Become part of Nottingham’s history: Once written, drop your piece into our custom time capsule submission boxes
The 2050 Archive Legacy
Your writing won’t just disappear after the event! We will collect the physical writing in two submission boxes on the day (one for letters, one for poems), and following the event, the Youth Advisory Board will collect and bind submitted letters and poems into a single ‘(Youth) Voices of 2026’ archive binder.
This compiled collection will be officially handed over to the Nottinghamshire Archives, where it will be sealed – not to be opened until (August) 2050!
How to Join
No tickets or sign-ups required! Simply drop into the Central Library anytime during the event hours.
You can choose to write your letter/poem anonymously or include your name and age. Our Youth Advisory Board members will be on hand to help you brainstorm and welcome you into the space.
Got questions or want to learn more?
Follow @nottmcityoflit on Instagram for updates & check out previous International Youth Day events below →