Proposal by the city councilor of Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands regarding a children's and youth cultural center

The City Council approves to begin preparations for cultural centers in the city's districts for children and youth. The cultural centers shall be free of charge, where children and youth will have the opportunity to participate in organized activities and events free of charge. Cultural centers are institutions that offer diverse cultural activities, such as theater performances, art exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, lectures, and workshops.

Cultural centers also often feature a library and facilities for meetings. The cultural centers shall be open on all weekdays and weekends, with an emphasis on an organized program. Opening hours shall be set so that children and youth can attend the cultural centers after the school day ends. Emphasis shall be placed on free access and a program designed for children and youth, by children and youth, where families can also participate.

The guiding principle shall be that children and youth can meet and be together there, regardless of economic status, and engage in constructive social activities, whether through artistic creation, film viewing and discussions, or other events. The activities shall evolve in line with the preferences of those who attend the cultural center. Culture appealing to children and youth shall be given high priority and diversity celebrated; here, for example, the importance of emphasizing interculturalism in activities can be mentioned. Parents and families shall also be invited to participate in the social activities as appropriate. The Department of Culture and Tourism, along with the Department of Welfare, shall be tasked with elaborating on the content of the proposal with regard to location and implementation.

The Children's Culture Festival has become established in Reykjavíkurborg, and it is a festival held every April. The festival is dedicated to arts and culture for children, with children, and children's creative works are showcased at the festival. The festival encompasses many art forms that children and families can attend free of charge. The Children's Culture Festival aims to promote cultural activities for children and youth in the city.

The financial situation of many children and youth in the city is unfortunately poor, as many of them come from homes where there is no funding to participate in events that cost money. Inmaster's thesisSoffía Hjördís Ólafsdóttir's (2017) titled "I would just like to have what others have": The experience of Reykjavík children living in poverty, states, among other things, that respondents wanted more time together with family and wanted to improve the quality of those times. Some respondents believed that finances were one of the biggest obstacles. Soffía's respondents were children of parents who had received financial assistance for three months or longer.

The Welfare Council of Reykjavíkurborg recently approved changes to the rules on financial assistance, which is intended to reach children living in extreme poverty. Furthermore, a pilot project by the city has also been launched in Breiðholt, which seeks to promote children's participation in leisure activities by increasing contributions to children living there. The aim is to equalize children's participation with the participation rate of children in sports and leisure activities in other districts of the city. Furthermore, it has also been approved to establish a support fund to promote participation in sports and leisure activities. It is intended to pay sports and leisure providers for excess costs due to participation in the project and to parents of participants to cover additional costs, such as for participation in events, purchase or rental of equipment.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that it is costly to pursue artistic creation and other creative activities that fall under the umbrella of children's and youth culture. Therefore, it is proposed that free cultural centers be established for children and youth, where their families are also offered participation. The Department of Culture and Tourism, along with the Department of Welfare, shall be tasked with elaborating on the content of the proposal and how and where the cultural centers can best commence operations.

Children and youth have received free access to cultural institutions through organized school trips, but here it is proposed that access be enhanced by also providing services after the school day ends. City libraries and the cultural houses around them offer interesting events that appeal to children and youth and their families, but here it is proposed that a more diverse service be established where an organized program is available on more days.

If, for example, one looks at next week at Gerðuberg, it can be seen that three interesting items are on the program that specifically appeal to children; the exhibition Heimsókn til Vigdísar, where guests are invited to enter the story world of the bookVigdís. The Book about the First Female President, tinkering days at Verkstæðið are also available, where, among other things, one can learn how to 3D print and design badges, and then a story time in Spanish is offered, but this spring, story times in Lithuanian, Polish, and Spanish will be offered. All these events are free of charge.

The aim of the proposal is to offer more interesting events and more frequently. It is important that attending the cultural centers does not cost money, as the financial situation of many is very poor, and it is important that cost is not an obstacle to the participation of children and youth. In the "Review of the arrangement of allocations and advice from aid organizations – Which groups seek assistance?", which Ásdís A. Arnalds, Guðný Gústafsdóttir, and Steinunn Hrafnsdóttir completed in 2020, it is stated in the responses from aid organizations that single mothers are a large group among those who seek assistance from aid organizations in Iceland. Individuals who sought assistance from aid organizations lived in a difficult financial situation, and a large portion of disposable income went to fixed expenses such as rent.

Poverty and material deprivation should not affect children and youth, and it is important that they have the opportunity to pursue what they are interested in. One can also look at what Alþjóðahús did in its time; for example, they advertised events that were free and open to all, such as a trip up Esja. Participants were invited to meet outside Alþjóðahús, Hverfisgata, and travel together by bus. Alþjóðahús also organized other interesting events such as a guided walk around the city center and a poetry evening where participants could read poems in different languages and then explain them further. The aim of this proposal is to offer a platform for children and youth, and where appropriate, their parents and families. It is important that this platform is available for attending various diverse cultural events.