YMCA Digital is pleased to launch the first phase of their historical media project, History of NGY in Nottingham city centre.
The project will support local young people to explore the heritage of the Grade II listed NGY Youth Centre (29-31 Castle Gate), its surroundings, and its historical context within Nottingham. The building has previously held a variety of uses including a cavalry barracks, hospital for women, Samaritan hospital and Radio Trent.
The Young Digital Historian steering group, comprised of young people aged 18-25 from across Nottinghamshire, have started training sessions in order to lead the project. So far, training sessions have included design work at LeftLion, journalism with Radio Trent, audio-processing with East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA), and many more!
Alongside local historians, the project will support The Young Digital Historians to explore the heritage of the NGY myplace youth centre – they will be researching and developing stories, producing an aural history archive, a video documentary exploring historical characters and stories, and an online and printed brochure which will be available both in the building and through the Tourist Information office.
The legacy of this project will encompass four different mediums: a touring exhibition of the project to 6 local schools and libraries, Aural archives submitted to EMOHA and uploaded to Mixcloud, a booklet of NGY history to be displayed in the NGY building and Nottingham tourism centre, and a video documentary uploaded to Vimeo.
Darren Goodlad, YMCA Digital Youth Leader, said: “Projects like this are so important in helping young people feel a sense of belonging and a connection to their community, both socially and geographically. The sessions will teach young people research and media skills, allowing them to explore and archive the heritage of the NGY building for future generations. The programme hopes to inspire a lifelong interest in historical archiving, using digital techniques.”
The programme will culminate in a celebration event on the 25th July at Nottingham Contemporary art gallery, showcasing interviews, theatre pieces, music, heritage specialist talks, and tours delivered by groups of young people who have already attended and learned from the experiences. It is sure to be a spectacular finish to an incredibly culturally relevant and heartfelt project.
To find out more or to get involved, please contact the YMCA Digital team at studio@nottsymca.org.