Legacy of My Leeds 2023: What's Next for Community Cultural Practice?

You are warmly invited to an event at Stage@Leeds reflecting on community participation during the Leeds 2023 Year of Culture:

 Friday 10 May, 18:00-19:30 

 stage@leeds, University of Leeds

My Leeds, a key strand of Leeds 2023 City of Culture saw the emergence of 33 ‘Neighbourhood Hosts’, community cultural practitioners each embedded in and representing a ward within Leeds. The project was designed to contribute to fulfilling the Leeds 2023 KPI of ‘meaningful engagement in all 33 wards of the city’ . It has produced a network of 33 individuals with strong connections between one-another and in their communities, many of whom are keen to continue their cultural work in a local context.

In the wake of the 2023 Year of Culture and the close of the My Leeds project, some pressing questions arise: what has been the value and the impact of My Leeds and the work carried out by the Neighbourhood Hosts? How could this work be relevant to cultural policy and development both within Leeds and nationally? What can be put in place to make this kind of work sustainable?

This event stages a conversation around approaches to and possibilities for community cultural practice in Leeds and the region: it will begin with a collective listening session where we will hear recordings of the voices of Neighbourhood Hosts and community members reflecting on their experiences of the project. A panel, consisting of representatives from Leeds City Council, Leeds 2023, Bradford 2025, and other Leeds-based cultural community orgs will respond to the recordings, and in a final phase, the conversation will be extended to include the audience.

The event will be recorded and will form part of the Centre for Cultural Value's research into Leeds 2023.