On Friday 29th March young people from across East Durham took part in the No More Nowt Happens showcase event at Dawdon Youth & Community Centre, where almost 130 local people attended to celebrate their achievements in organising 5 major arts events across East Durham.
The showcase event was the final part of the ‘No More Nowt Happens’ project which has been funded by County Durham Community Foundation. The project brought groups of young people together to plan and stage arts events with professional performers and artists in local non-traditional venues, putting an end to the idea that ‘Nowt Happens’ in East Durham.
Performers including Barry Hyde of the Futureheads and ‘Door to Door Poet’ Rowan McCabe joined the young people in a multimedia celebration that featured performances, works of art, music and more.
The No More Nowt Happens project has seen a major photography exhibition, a music gig, a spoken word night, a comedy night and a digital art exhibition take place, all events organised and run by young people in their local communities. The events have engaged an audience of over 550 people and almost 100 young people have been involved.
Prior to organising the event many of the young people had never attended a gig or an art exhibition before. During the project the young people were taken to go and see events related to their chosen art form to inspire them ahead of the planning stage. For many of the young people they also formed friendships and grew their social networks, learnt new skills and grew in confidence.
One young person said “Before the No More Nowt Happens project I didn’t know what outside my bedroom was.” Whilst another young person said “It added value, excitement and made a difference to my life. I never had this much responsibility before.”
CEO of East Durham Trust Malcolm Fallow says; “This project has been a revelation in that Young People have really helped to put their respective communities on the cultural map.”
The No More Nowt Happens project has been managed by East Durham Trust and funded by County Durham Community Foundation. East Durham Creates has supported the project and been an evidence base to secure funding.