Why Arts and Culture opportunities are important – the words of children and young people…
This blog post is written as part of our month of ‘Wish 7’, during April 2024. Arts and Cultural experiences are a key part of this wish, meaning it is something important to children and young people in Leeds.
This post is to help remind us about WHY Arts and Culture are so important for young people, especially at a time where funding for these opportunities is less and less of a guarantee.
We don’t want you to take our word for it, though. That’s why we’ve asked young people in Leeds to put it into their own words…
Young people at ‘Brave Words’ group said…
“I love coming here. When everything’s bad at home, I can have fun and be a kid.”
“I never done anything like this before. It’s helped me to know what I want to do with my life.”
“Brave Words is the only space I feel safe and able to express myself.”
“I feel heard here.”
People at ‘Tutti Frutti’ group said…
‘Beautiful session, children engaged well and enjoyed the process of learning the song and singing. Some of them were amazed at how well they can sing. Icing on the cake was the show at the end for parents/carers, prepared by the children in half an hour and presented flawlessly.’ – Teacher.
‘Tutti Frutti Club is good as it helps my mental health, makes my Monday so much better, love the snacks especially biscuits.’ – Participant.
‘Lladel was like a role model for school who has been to the school and is now a professional actor. The children loved him, he had their attention and they all joined in.’ – Teacher.
Young people in Leeds Youth Council said…
“It’s important to have free cultural experiences in Leeds, because 22% of under 16s in Leeds are in low-income families.”
“As well as this, positive cultural exchanges amongst young people are vital to their growth because it improves their social skills”.
“Furthermore, it can shape your interests and influence future education and career decisions.”
“Culture days are also important to learn about others.”
“As well as this, culture attracts people to stay and live in Leeds. It’s a long-term investment for the city.”
Young people at Ruth Gorse Academy, who were celebrating their culture day said…
“People from different cultures can come together, knowing that everyone is coming to school dressing in their own attire, they can feel confident enough to express themselves.”
“I think it creates a very positive feeling in school because it brings everyone together. We’re all different but it brings us all together.”
“People coming in their cultural attire can see that other people are wearing similar things, and they can relate to each other and find similarities and help build friendships.”
“I think school culture day is a time when you get to express yourself and show who you really are – not just how smart you are in lessons.”
“It’s a time when everyone gets to interact and speak to each other about their cultures. For example, if you weren’t really speaking to someone before, it’s a time to understand more about them and who they are.”
“We can just talk to each other and explain what our culture really is and how it affects us as a person.
“We can just talk to each other and explain what our culture really is and how it affects us as a person.”
