Strengthening the resilience of the community by engaging youth

Starting their journey as a candidate to become a Cultural Pearl the city of Svendborg in Denmark clearly identified the challenge they would like to tackle during their title year. Their analysis showed a significant number of children and youth were not engaging in social communities. Meanwhile research indicates that being part of social communities – particularly those of co-creation – fosters empowerment, self-efficacy, and self-confidence. This, in turn, contributes to social resilience of the whole community.

Consequently, one of the problems the municipality is addressing as part of their Culture and Resilience Action plan is to decrease discontent among youth enabling them to participate in social communities and encourage them to build and develop new communities themselves.

As a result, 13 young people dived into the creativity and self-expression in the 12-week CulturalSpaces course open to those aged 15-30 experiencing mental distress, requiring referrals from school counsellors, youth guidance, or job consultants.

Throughout the course, the group experienced guided reading sessions that boosted their confidence and helped them find their voice in literature; explored various forms of artistic expression, as they interpreted their own city in new and creative ways listened to music, using active listening as a springboard for meaningful conversations and immersed themselves in nature, embracing its resources, finding peace, playing, and discovering. Now, they are being guided into other cultural communities.

Over these weeks, a group of these young people collaborated with four local cultural and creative partners: a library, an experimental art school FLUK, a music association, and a bushcraft-inspired NGO Passion for Nature association.

Wrapping up the journey in the CulturalSpaces program, seven young talents left their mark on the old shipyard halls at Frederiksø. With some cool guidance from a local graffiti artist, they created their own graffiti masterpiece in the iconic Rundbuehallen.

A new group of youngsters kicks off in September 2024!