TOWN OF CHILDREN

Creatives Now worked with BASECLAN to produce an inclusive neighbourhood project open to all young people who either attend school or reside in Bolton. The aim was to align our project with crucial insights derived from the BeeWell data for Bolton, which highlighted several pressing issues among young people in our town. These included limited engagement in arts activities, a lack of purposeful use of free time beyond gaming, troubling statistics regarding friendships
and relationships, experiences of bullying, lack of autonomy, and lack of self-esteem.
We identified a unique opportunity to expand the impact of Creatives Now, which empowers young people to cultivate their own cultural activities. This involved creating access to a larger welcoming and safe space governed by a collective agreement on behaviours and expectations, determining the types of activities conducted, networking with artists and cultural organisations, shaping the local cultural landscape, commissioning artists for co-designed projects, and fostering community and creative health.

The local council extended an invitation to tender ideas for the use of a recently available department store unit, following its temporary use by the central library during renovations. This provided a prime opportunity to repurpose the space for our project. Our objectives were multifaceted:
1. Engage Youth in Arts: Increase participation in arts activities by offering a variety of creative outlets and projects that appeal to the diverse interests of young people in Bolton. Access to a larger street orientated shopping unit provided space and visibility to diversify the form of work and its prominence.
2. Promote Purposeful Free Time: Provide further and more ambitious structured and meaningful activities that encourage young people to use their free time productively, moving beyond a predominance of gaming to explore other interests and talents.
3. Improve Social Well-being: Address issues highlighted by the BeeWell data by fostering
environments where friendships and positive relationships can thrive, and by actively combating bullying via the promotion of safe and welcoming spaces.
4. Enhance Autonomy and Self-Esteem: Create further opportunities for young people to take ownership of their projects and space, thereby enhancing their sense of autonomy and self-worth. Provide a platform and audience for young people’s interests and a means for them to continuously develop these with intergenerational support in terms of expertise and community engagement.
5. Develop Cultural and Community Creative Health: Foster a sense of community and well-being through cultural engagement, creating a vibrant cultural scene that is shaped by and for young people.

By achieving these goals, we aimed to not only further address the immediate concerns identified in the BeeWell data but also to create a lasting positive impact on the community, empowering young people to take an increased active role in shaping their cultural environment and enhancing their overall well-being.
To support the achievement of our goals, a new Spanish organisation called BASECLAN was engaged and commissioned. The foundation of BASECLAN's work is based on the various practices of artist Victor Seus, developed over a decade with international communities. These practices include:

Connecting Communities via 'Social Fabric' Activities: Engaging communities through collaborative and participatory art projects that weave social connections.

Action Painting linked to Mural Production: Facilitating dynamic and collaborative painting activities that culminate or inform the creation of murals, fostering a sense of ownership and pride within the community.
Experimental Intelligence Practices: Exploring the politics of social engagement through physicality and creative action, promoting active participation, embodied engagement and critical thinking.