Engaging with the YouTube Generation Young Cultural Journeys Report 2018 Susan Goodwin Associate Director Cultural Sector Partnerships Arts Connect

Introduction Film https://youtu.be/sjimii3yTlY

What did we do? Qualitative research with 207 young people, led by young peer researchers   Quantitative Research Surveys of 1,607 young people (age 11 – 19) in the West Midlands

What does the research tell us? 10 key findings   16 recommendations for the cultural and education sectors

Young people have fluid identities, live busy hyper local lives and digital technology is interwoven in their interconnected lives

Use of Social Media Platforms Young people consider social media platforms as enablers of everything else they do rather than a discrete activity.   Snap chat 61% at least twice a week Instagram 59% You Tube 41% but core for content sharing Facebook 22% WhatsApp 22%

Immediate influencers remain vital and cultural influencers lie close to home Young people are 4 times more likely to consume culture with family members than through school   50% cited family as the main inspiration to engage in cultural activities and this remains important for young people older than 16

Young people are engaging with arts and culture flexibly and sector definitions of culture don’t resonate 4 of the 5 most common forms of cultural consumption carried out in free time were flexible, potentially portable activities   Listening to music 98% Watching TV 96% Playing computer games 88% Reading a book 75%

Social outcomes are important but spiritual, intellectual and emotional outcomes are also desired. An appetite for event attendance and creative development 50% of young people identified their main desired outcome was social, fun, enjoyment time with friends and meeting other people 32 % Relaxation, escapism and inspiration 22% learning new skills, help to get a job 23% feeling good, increased self confidence

Barriers to culture are complicated The main barrier to engagement with arts and culture cited by young people is lack of opportunity or perceived lack of provision Functional barriers were most cited for consumption of arts and culture, including lack of awareness (18%), too expensive (14%) and lack of time (12%)

What does this mean for libraries? Engage with young people as young as possible and appropriate for the activities Engage family who remain influential throughout young people’s lives Engage through schools to broaden perceptions of arts and culture and increase engagement Provide and signpost young people to high-quality resources which reflect their interests Ensure that venues are welcoming to young people in their ambience, social spaces, provision of affordable food and drink and free wifi

What does this mean for libraries? Create an embedded digital approach recognising that (most) young people are constantly connected but acknowledge pockets of lower digital engagement Utilise YouTube as a core content provider for high quality cultural content

The role of YouTube and what it means for the sector? How is this content relevant and engaging to children and young people? Who creates and curates it? Who is it for? How do you measure that success and relevance?

@ArtsConnectWM @WeAreFrilly #MHM Arts Connect is an initiative of The Faculty of Arts of the University of Wolverhampton. We are funded by Arts Council England to work to improve the access and engagement of children and young people aged 0–25 in arts and culture.   If you wish to know more about the project please contact susan.goodwin@wlv.ac.uk For more information on our services and activities please visit www.artsconnect.co.uk @ArtsConnectWM @WeAreFrilly #MHM