Our response to the Mayor’s Culture Strategy
25 June 2018
On the 19th of June 2018, the Mayor of London’s closed the consultation on draft culture strategy, Culture for All Londoners. We called for members to submit evidence to our response here and also held a roundtable session with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and members involved with our Young Culture Makers programme.
Our response
At London Youth, we continue to argue that culture has a huge impact on the quality of life of young Londoners, including improved mental and social wellbeing, strong and cohesive communities, and the possibility of meaningful economic and career opportunities.
Young people deserve to be supported to be both active creators and makers of culture, as well as accessing the cultural options that London offers. We take the position that the Mayor should seek to support culture provision in the places that young people choose to go, including community youth organisations.
We consider that community youth organisations play an important role in delivering cultural programmes and activities, fostering cultural capital among young people, and should be seen as an asset in encouraging outreach to those young people least likely to engage in London’s cultural life.
About the strategy
The theme of the strategy is expanding the types of cultural activities on offer in London and ensuring a broader range of people enjoy their benefits. This means both that Londoners should be able to access culture where they live, but also that Londoners of all backgrounds work in the creative industries.
The Mayor’s priorities are:
- Love London – more people experiencing and creating culture on their doorstep
- Culture and Good Growth – supporting, saving and sustaining cultural places
- Creative Londoners – investing in a diverse creative workforce for the future
- World City – maintaining a global powerhouse in a post-Brexit world
The key questions for community youth organisations are:
- What impact does the capital’s culture have on quality of life for Londoners? What could the Mayor do to amplify and support these areas?
- Do you agree that London must embrace a broad definition of culture that includes less formal places and spaces? If yes, what could the Mayor do to best support informal culture?
- How could the Mayor help to remove barriers that prevent all Londoners from securing creative jobs? What examples of good practice are you aware of in this area?
