GENERATE 2168
Grassroots, Community
2019 – Onwards
“One of the most amazing things about this festival is that we took a space that basically wasn’t being used… and using the knowledge that quite a few of us have from growing up in this area, we’ve been able to put all our voices, concerns, wishes and dreams into one space and transform it into one huge, colourful explosion,”
Amira Halabi, GEN2168 Facilitator.
GENerate 2168 is a place-making project – a collaboration between young people, artists and community workers in the neighbourhoods of Miller and its surrounding suburbs.
In 2019, the 2168 Interagency coalition between CuriousWorks, CORE Community Services, Evolve Housing and Mission Australia opened up the Miller Youth Space and kept it running every Wednesday until it was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020 -2021, CuriousWorks began work on the first Generate Festival, that eventually came to fruition in April – May 2022. It included six-week youth workshops, community events like one-off workshops and a community film screening, the GEN2168 Youth Leadership Council, and a final showcase festival day at the Miller Mission Australia space. The festival space featured finished works from the workshop programs like a poetry zine and an AR wall, and included projects like Make Yourself At Home and the Handle With Care zine.
You can read more about the 2022 festival here.
CONCEPT
The Miller Youth Space is in the heart of Miller’s public space. Young people want to work towards something more beautiful and welcoming as their creative youth hub and began to consult each other, Elders and community workers on what they have in mind:
“What I appreciate about growing up in Miller is the offers and opportunities with volunteers and community workers who take their time to make opportunities happen.” Roukkaya, 15 years
“One thing I would change in Miller – It would be cool if they added more community activities, not just one afternoon a week at the Miller Youth Space but Fridays as well. A place for all of us.” Alexa, 14 years
“For our neighbourhood – we would like to see:
More lighting and safe public space where we can feel relaxed and make new friends
We really love nature and want to see more beauty – in the form of vegetable gardens, plants and excellent parks
We want to see all the rubbish cleared up – where we all work together to clean up the neighbourhood and have it looking beautiful
We want Safety for Everyone – if you see someone looking unwell – it can make you feel unsafe – and we want to make sure that all young people can be safe while walking around Miller.” – Zoey and Bryce, 12 years of age
After COVID-19 restrictions stopped face to face community work – young people have been collaborating with CuriousWorks on a fantasy model, which includes exciting features of modern architecture and immersive design.
CREDITS
Generate2168 Program Producer: Samantha Barahona
2022 Festival Designer: Sandra May
2022 Festival Video: Shot and edited by Adam McPhilbin
GEN2168 was proudly supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, CreateNSW and Liverpool City Council.
A special thank you to our festival partners: Liverpool Youth Connections, Liverpool City Council, Story Factory, Hume Community Housing, Michael Wenden Aquatic Leisure Centre, Lifeline, Core Community Services and Mission Australia.
The 2019 video created by Miller young people: Zoe, Nathan N, TK, Sarynnah, Alliyah, Nathan R, Kai, Wendy, Eddy, Anton, Ofa and Desire with designer Huy Nguyen.
In addition, CuriousWorks have been collaborating with our friends Valerie Berry and the Filipino art outfit, Sipat Lawin / Komunidad X to dream up ways of creating interactive art that can illustrate what young people really want. In August, Sipat Lawin/ Komunidad X ran masterclasses with local young artists to explore their civic dreaming project – GOBYERNO – in which people get to design their ideal government by the people, for the people!
