‘Let’s Do It!’ – A guide to setting up a youth arts festival

Press Release

‘Let’s Do It!’ – A guide to setting up a youth arts festival


Commissioned by East Wall Youth and the Fire Station Artists’ Studios and funded by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority ‘Let’s Do It!’ – A guide to setting up a youth arts festival - is a practical planning tool for those engaged in running a youth arts festival in Ireland.

Written by Rebecca Bartlett, the guide was inspired by the success of the ‘Urban Noise’ youth arts festival in Dublin’s northeast inner city and their desire to share its knowledge and experience with others. The aim of this publication is to provide a good professional framework for any youth festival to work within, which will lessen the risk factors, associated with organising a festival and will ensure the best chances of success for all involved.

Ireland has seen increasing growth in youth arts activity in recent years. The benefits of participation in the arts are well documented; including building self-esteem, critical imagination and self-expression among young people all of which are of fundamental value in their lives. The support provided by regional arts centres, the growth of professional partnerships between practising artists and youth workers, the opportunities provided by national organisations such as the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) and the National Association for Youth Drama (NAYD) and funding opportunities provided by the Arts Council - have all helped to create an environment where youth arts festivals have taken root in small rural towns as well as larger cities around the country.

The guide takes a practical approach in addressing the various stages of planning a festival from the inspiration and motivation behind the project through to consultation and collaboration, implementation, realisation and finally the evaluation of the festival. It simplifies tasks on a practical level, while also offering a theoretical background, explaining the need for best practise and sound methodologies when working with young people. The variety of skills required to run a successful youth arts festivals are covered in great detail. Monthly and weekly tasks are outlined in a user friendly format, roles are very clearly defined with sample contracts being provided at the end of the guide. Advice and information is given on marketing, PR, health and safety requirements and sponsorship.

The guide will be officially launched by Sheila de Courcy, Commissioning Editor of Young Peoples Programmes RTE on April 28th in The Sean O’Casey Community Centre in the East Wall. The guide will then be available to download as a pdf from www.urbannoise.ie and www.nyci.ie from early May 2009.

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For further information, please contact
Loretta Lambkin, Docklands Authority, 01 818 3300, llambkin@dublindocklands.ie

Eileen O’Malley, WHPR Tel 669 0030 or 085 8289002 eileen.o’malley@ogilvy.com



Notes to Editors:
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority was established by the Irish Government in 1997 to lead a major project of physical, social, cultural and economic regeneration on the east side of Dublin city. The Docklands Authority is self-financing and to date has attracted an estimated €7 billion of public and private investment in Dublin’s Docklands.
The regeneration project encompasses some 1,300 acres of prime riverside land and is creating an exciting new focal point for the city. What was once an economically deprived area of the capital is steadily being transformed into a thriving new district.

www.dublindocklands.ie