Walker Youth Dance Project provides a free, year-round dance and movement programme for leadership, empowerment & wellbeing in Walker, Newcastle’s most deprived Ward for children who're ‘othered’ by society. Whether they’re experiencing poverty and/or are disabled/queer/young people of the global majority.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
Walker is the most deprived ward in the North East; (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019), not just Newcastle and 73.1% of households are deprived in at least one dimension. Young people in Walker face poorer than average health and well-being and have fewer opportunities (Centre for Local Economic Strategies; Resilience in Walker; Newcastle upon Tyne; 2015). Inequality in arts access reinforces the idea that this is ok, but we want to instil a sense of value in the young people of Walker.
Solution
Walker Youth Dance Project supports young people to engage with dance and movement on their own terms. It involves free-to-access weekly dance workshops for different age groups, care packages, theatre and dance trips and every year we co-create Walker Youth Dance Festival to celebrate youth creativity in our local community. The programme enables young people to develop a sense of community, their wellbeing, and increase their confidence as they explore topics that are important to them.
