In the round

The Roundhouse in Camden is a performing arts organisation that has worked with people aged 11–25 since 2000. In July 2006 our building opened, and over 13,000 young people have since accessed creative learning and training in multi-disciplinary arts (e.g. music, film/TV, radio, drama, poetry, journalism, game design) through its centre for young people, the Roundhouse Studios. The Roundhouse’s mission is to provide an environment and facilities where young people can engage with artists, industry professionals and their peers, to further their creative aspirations, vocational opportunities and personal development. The Roundhouse Youth Advisory Board has been running since 2004, and in 2008 two of its members joined the board of The Roundhouse Trust to ensure that young people were represented at the highest level. Placing young people at the centre of service delivery ensures that our provision is attractive and relevant to their changing priorities.

In addition to courses and projects, the Roundhouse runs network events, scratch performances by our newly formed theatre company, and showcases as part of our out-of-school termly programme, many of which are devised and run by young people. Our ‘Space to Create’ programme cultivates new event managers, promoters and curators by providing venue space, budget and professional guidance to 17–25 year olds where they can deliver their own events. ‘Strange Brew’ is a high-end showcase event, regularly managed by a graduate from our apprenticeship programme, and is attracting new acts from across the UK. The key attraction for initiatives such as Strange Brew is the mix of established acts performing alongside unsigned emerging artists, a concept we are currently in the process of piloting on a much larger scale with the ‘Turning Point’ festival to be held in May. This festival is currently being devised and delivered by young people from a complete cross-section of members – from targeted outreach groups to semi-professional independent studio users. It will also serve as research and development project, with the intention of creating a replicable model to be shared across the sector. Collaboration and cross-fertilisation of knowledge between staff, young people, industry and local community is intrinsic to the success of this project. The mutual benefits of working in this way are manifold, as young people can exploit the legitimacy that a large cultural organisation can give to the work they produce, while the organisation can develop its creative capital through investing in young innovators. This is particularly apparent in the advancement of our online resources, where showcasing work through Roundhouse Radio, live streaming of gigs on our website and our fledgling TV programme broaden the geographical reach and ways of accessing new audiences. Young people are challenging the direction of the creative industries through experimenting, taking risks and informing policy. They are the catalyst for generating a mixed audience of local community and industry, and through showcase events will hopefully reposition the role of young people in society as key contributors to the local creative and cultural economy.