December 4, 2024

Support from the Sparebankstiftelsen for the further development of Unge stemmer

Scenekunstbruket are very pleased to have received support from Sparebankstiftelsen DNB to expand and further develop the Unge stemmer project (Young Voices). Young Voices gives young people a platform to share their experiences and reflections about performing arts and an opportunity to participate in the public conversation about art.

- "Art criticism is important, both for the art field and for society. Many young people lack a language to talk about art, which can make it scary to seek out the performing arts. We want to do something about this, by giving young people a solid understanding of the role and importance of art criticism, while at the same time developing their own expression and self-confidence in the face of art," says Tine Valavuo Tyldum, general manager of Scenekunstbruket . 

Unge stemmer was established in 2012 and, in addition to an annual editorial at the Showbox festival, has collaborated with festivals and schools in several places in the country. The project will now be year-round, with two pilot groups in Greater Oslo and Østfold. Scenekunstbruket collaborates with Østfold international theatre , Brageteatret and Kloden teater to recruit young people, as well as workshops. The groups, who will consist of young people between the ages of 15 and 19, will publish art criticism in various forms – from text and podcasts to videos – on the relaunched website ungestemmer.no . 

- "We are proud to support a project like Young Voices. It shows how art can contribute to democratic participation and create commitment among young people," says Anne Holck Ekenes of Sparebankstiftelsen DNB . 

The young people will be guided by experienced performing arts critics who act as mentors. The critics contribute with workshops in art criticism, individual follow-up and editorial work. This collaboration ensures both professional weight and a broad approach to the performing arts field. 

Scenekunstbruket has extensive experience with international projects, including through the EU projects TEEN and 3Place . Both have aimed to explore how young people can engage in art and culture on their own terms. These projects have provided valuable insight into methods for including young people in art criticism and public conversation about art. The support from the Sparebankstiftelsen now makes it possible to continue and strengthen this work. 

Mikkel (18), former participant in Unge stemmer and the 3Place project, describes the value of performing arts as follows:
- "If a performance can be an eye-opener and make me see things from a different perspective, that's exciting. Then you better understand why people think the way they do.” 

Through Young Voices , young people not only get to experience performing arts, but also reflect and convey their experiences. The support from the Sparebankstiftelsen makes it possible to recruit a diverse group and reward the young people's work, so that participation does not depend on finances.