our work

cultural ambassadors

Cultural Ambassadors

Our Cultural Ambassadors programme is currently developing the next generation of cultural leaders which enables young people to combine their passions for drama, dance and music, with the opportunity to comment on the local arts scene . The Cultural Ambassadors programme was first commissioned by Hackney Council in 2007 and is run by Eastside in partnership with Hackney Youth Service. The group meets weekly at The Lower Eastside to inform their peers about local arts provision and to comment on Hackney's youth arts festival Discover Young Hackney (DYH). The Cultural Ambassadors document and evaluate the DYH events and empower teenage festival goers to directly feedback their views to the Cultural Development team at Hackney Council. They also input into the festival's programming, marketing and the design of DYH promotional materials. In addition to this the Cultural Ambassadors put on their own festival event each year.  In 2008, local musical talent was showcased in Da Shoreditch Sound and then in 2009, the Cultural Ambassadors developed the Discover Young Hackney Cultural Awards hosting their own awards ceremony at Ocean as part of the festival's official closing event. The Cultural Ambassadors have also conducted a series of youth consultations for community organisation, London Youth in local primary schools and with other youth groups. They visited the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to report on youth engagement in Hackney - one of London's five Olympic Boroughs. The Cultural Ambassadors will continue this association throughout the Cultural Olympiad and are also linking with youth groups in America to work on a joint film and photography project. Furthermore we proudly announce that one of our Cultural Ambassadors; Rhasan Brunner, (14) was recently elected as a member of the UK Youth Parliament.