City of Dreams

City of Dreams (CoD) was launched in September 2018, aiming to earn NewcastleGateshead a reputation as the “best place to be young” through engagement of children and young people (CYP) in cultural and creative activity. Lasting 10 years, CoD provides a strategy and action plan for evolving the way cultural organisations enable CYP’s engagement, how they foster agency and support growth of confidence and skills. 

Led by NewcatleGateshead Cultural Venues (NGCV) and working with CYP and a cross-sector alliance of Champion organisations, CoD has fast become a high-profile initiative with strategic resonance, testing high quality new approaches that broaden reach, deepen engagement, strengthen partnerships and provide evaluative insights. 

In its first year CoD has created programmes including #MakeSomethingBrilliant, Twi-Lates, X-Culture, Creative Pathways, Our City Our Story and the Big Culture Conversation, whilst earning Investing in Children awards for all NGCV members. It has found strategic resonance with local authorities, North East Culture Partnership, the university sector and the Cultural Cities Enquiry, among others. 

Building on this activity, CoD will focus on three key themes in 2019-2022: agency, inclusion and skills. CoD will continue to curate and pool resources, share learning and test concepts, to enable delivery of multiple programmes of collaborative activities.