Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the end of year one celebration of a new programme for young people at Citadel Youth Centre.
Citadel, based in Leith, has long been a haven for young people in the area – and their families. Beginning in 1980, in the last decade or so the centre has moved into providing intergenerational experiences alongside their youth groups 1-1 support and activities, most recently bringing older and younger people together in a programme called New Spin in collaboration with Pilmeny Development Centre, and Old’s Cool in partnership with local schools.
But it is Youth Spark I want to talk about today, and the focus of this programme is all on the young folk.
But how is it different from the myriad of youth work and opportunities for young people already out there?
While the programme is facilitated by Citadel staff and volunteers, the content comes directly from the young people participating in the programme, it is truly a community-led experience.
The celebration event itself was not your usual sit down and listen to a report on the programme. It was interactive, fun and engaging. Yes there was a short power point, however by including some of the activities the young people experienced it also provided a real sense of the programme in action, as well as opportunity for funders to see the real life impact of their spending.
Each cohort consists of 10 young people, with 3 groups being supported each year. The first couple of sessions are all about getting to know each other – lot’s of fun ice breakers, a few of which we were introduced to at the weekend – have you ever tried to draw a self portrait of yourself with the sheet of paper on your head? It definitely breaks the ice!
But then it gets into idea generation – the participants begin talking about what they enjoy, what they are interested in and what they want their group to focus on. Some of this conversation is prompted through ‘spark cards’ – a series of simple cards with a picture, a topic, a bit of information, and a question.
Again this is something we got a taste of at the celebration event – a mix of 9 cards, where we were asked to discuss any that took our fancy as a group. Our table focussed on ‘Archaeological Learning’ and had a fascinating discussion about what constitutes an archaeological site, how people interact with local historical monuments and what these mean for our society and how we see ourselves. Another table chatted about technology and what this means to people from different cultures.
From these discussions a topic emerges that the group will focus on for the rest of their time, bringing in elements of other interests and discussion. The first group focussed on gaming, and had initially planned to create a game themselves, it became clear that this would not be possible in the time available, so instead they created a film about the process.
The second group also chose to think about technology, but went in a very different direction, producing podcasts and soundscapes, including a wonderful musical performance by Amber and her friend Elliot (who gave us a live rendition at the event). The lyrics were based on things that had come out during candid discussions.
While the third group, (which is not yet finished) chose a completely different topic – focussing on fashion and design.
It was clear from the celebration session that the young people had enjoyed the time they spent at the programme, and that the activities they undertook have had a lasting impression. But it isn’t just about the practical activities. When asked what their favourite part of the programme had been one of the young people responded by saying it was the social element they had enjoyed the most – meeting peers they wouldn’t have otherwise.
This feeling is also reflected in one of the hashtags the young people chose to represent the event #CreatingConnections. The event itself also did this – bringing together some of the young people who participated, volunteers, board members, funders, and members of the wider community who are interested in what they are doing.
And this is something that organisations like the The Citadel do every day – they create connections within communities that bind people together, and provide experiences that would otherwise not be possible for those concerned, and in this case provide the space and freedom for those involved to express themselves creatively in the way they want to.
It is these types of opportunities that change lives.
Vibrantly Revive 