Urban art brightens youth centre

Urban art to brighten youth centre walls

A group of nine young people from Barne Barton and St Budeaux are picking up paintbrushes and adding a splash of colour with a piece of urban art for their youth centre.

As the momentum around the bid to become UK City of Culture 2017 builds in Plymouth, Cornish artist Phil Harvey is sharing his expertise and helping the members of the youth group, the Voice and Influence Youth Forum, to express themselves creatively.

The artwork on the wall of the centre draws on the local area’s heritage as a former naval estate with close links to the sea and the assets of the neighbourhood with imagery of nature and woodland. The masterpiece will be unveiled at an event on Saturday 6 April at The Barn, Kit Hill, Barne Barton.

With support from Plymouth City Council, the youth group is working with the Barne Barton Partnership on neighbourhood projects. The aim is to ensure that the voice of local young people is heard loud and clear.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet member for Co-operatives and Community Development said: “Working on the design for the urban art piece has developed the group’s sense of pride in the neighbourhood. It is a wonderful opportunity for the group to showcase how young people can work in partnership to make a difference to their communities and it is exactly the sort of grass roots arts project that we want to see in Plymouth as we bid to be UK City of Culture in 2017.”

The Voice and Influence Youth Forum has also taken on youth consultation as part of the Barne Barton Neighbourhood Plan and is taking the lead in mapping priorities and opportunities that will make a positive change for young people.