About

The project began in the autumn of 2022 with a collaboration between young people at the Dearne IKIC and a group of architecture students from The University of Sheffield. Together they built a ‘story den’; a space for telling, writing and recording stories. Working with a growing network of creative practitioners in and around the Goldthorpe area, we delivered a series of workshops over the summer of 2023. The sessions explored a range of media: photography, textiles, sculpture and storytelling, twine-gaming and poetry which culminated in an exciting body of work all produced by the young people. 

The project was then developed further with a new cohort of Sheffield architecture students gathering this body of art, and working with the young people to produce a ‘digital townscape’ - an online platform that showcases all the joyful and thought-provoking pieces the young people have produced. This platform is a journey through Goldthorpe as the young people see it, looking at the town through their eyes, challenging negative perceptions of their generation, and giving them a chance to make their voices heard.

This project was made possible due to the creativity and hard work of young people across Goldthorpe. The website and digital townscape were created to showcase their work and make their voices heard. Without their enthusiasm throughout the process and their high level of involvement, the end result would not be as exciting, engaging or effective; the young people should be immensely proud of everything they have achieved.

The artists involved were:

This programme is funded by the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England, and the University of Sheffield Partnerships and Regional Engagement team.

It was supported by staff and volunteers of the Dearne IKIC and special thanks go to Jade Beever and Darryl Hand who made the sessions a reality.