Arnhem invests heavily in youth culture

Three establishments in Arnhem will have one huge financial support For youth culture projects Arnhem to give an extra boost. These are the SoulCypher Foundation (€135,000), De Nieuwe Oost (€100,000) and the Rozet Foundation (€75,000). The funds are intended to provide additional support for places and initiatives for young people to develop creatively.

Kathleen Bokamp, ​​Alderman of Culture: “Arnhem is a creative and lively city. We believe it is important to invest in art and culture by and for young people. We see that Arnhemmers, young and old, are proud of the wide variety of cultural expressions and many makers that our city has to offer. The three organizations are passionate, engaged, and have clear ambitions for the city. Through this support, we ensure that youth culture is enriched by supporting makers and creative expression.”

the support

The three Arnhem organizations were chosen because they had a clear plan about how they wanted the support to be spent. The three organizations focus on one of five spearheads with which the sector must become healthy, strong and resilient again: restart (after the end of corona restrictions), labor market, makers, innovation and youth.

It’s bigger than hip-hop

The SoulCypher Foundation is committed to the continued development of Hiphophub. Arnhem’s hip-hop culture has become better organized in recent years, and the Soulcypher festival, which has recently been held for its tenth year, forms a solid foundation for that.

Hiphop manifesto026 recently made a statement about necessary development in the near future. The plan focuses on activities with and for young people, such as open coaching sessions, networking and hangouts, live hip-hop music and hip-hop café/lectures: Hip-hop Hub Young. In addition, under the name of Partners in Scene, we work together to take events/initiatives a step forward with a small production budget and through the principle of Each one knows one Knowledge that has been passed on to and collected from the next generation.

House for Generation Y/Z

De Nieuwe Oost uses the money to experiment with a number of youth workshops: creative processes in which a new generation of makers and (potential) performers engage with each other. They work together for 3 to 4 months as they develop new stories, perspectives, and ideas. It is shared with the public at different times.

De Nieuwe Oost is clearly in contact with new groups of young people in and around Arnhem. A mixture of people with (art) education and without (art) education from the mainstream to the underground. Youth is explored in close collaboration with partners such as Willemeen, Hiphophub, Theater Oostpool, Presikhaaf University and Rozet.

Graffiti-free spaces

Rozet culture brokers want to work with the graffiti scene to create two new places as safe havens for legal graffiti spraying. This is one of the actions included in Art in Progress, the Arnhem Executive Framework for Art in the Public Space 2021-2024.

The space for legal graffiti spraying in Arnhem is currently still limited and mainly centered around the Blue Waves. Creating shelters provides a space for young people to express themselves artistically and can have a preventive effect against illegal graffiti in the city.

Youth Impulse 2022

The Youth Impulse is part of the detailed message on Culture 2022: Recovery, Regeneration and Growth of the Minister of State for Culture and Information on May 23, 2022. With this, the government wants to make the sector healthy, strong and resilient. These resources are allocated to municipalities, for example for training spaces, breeding grounds, creative centers and other places where young people organize themselves to create new forms of culture.