Whether or not you got tickets for London 2012, it is now swinging firmly into view. The Cultural Olympiad was officially launched this week and, for me, the debate about how young Londoners feel about their city is a crucial one.
The Games has to inspire and create opportunities for young people. This isn’t just about attending events, but about young people exploring and communicating about their city, and developing their creative skills for the future.
Many young Londoners live in the shadow of Olympic venues, but feel a thousand miles away. We have to find ways of engaging young people, giving them opportunities, inspiring them and connecting them with their culture. This type of engagement can help develop skills and interests, build confidence and lead to real employment opportunities
It would be easy to look at the investment going into East London’s venues, public realm and transport links and see two cities emerging. One is for the hundreds of thousands of people who will flood into the capital for two weeks next year. The other is about young people who won’t see the 100 metres final except on the box, who deal with many challenges in their communities and face increasingly bleak work prospects.
At A New Direction, we see London 2012 as a once in a lifetime opportunity for young people to explore and document their city, and be inspired by art and culture. Last September we started a huge London-wide programme to encourage young people to explore their creative potential, as the final year of the Creative Partnerships Enquiry School programme. Working across 140 London schools, 13 major arts organisations and thousands of children and young people, ‘the Biggest Learning Opportunity on Earth’, as it is modestly entitled, culminates this month in a week-long festival of their work.
London won the bid on its offer to young people. This is the golden chance the London Olympics presents. With a year to go, it must not be wasted.
Steve Moffitt is Director of A New Direction