18-year old Adam Reincke from Falmouth has been selected to join a delegation of Cornish political and artistic figures as they embark on the first of a series of international conferences being held to promote the European Regions of Culture Campaign (www.e-r-o-c.com).
Launched in 2003, the bid is ultimately designed to give rural areas - such as Cornwall - the same exposure and economic benefits enjoyed by Liverpool (in 2008) and other urban centres as a result of the EU ‘Capitals of Culture’ scheme. With funding from the European Union’s Culture 2007 Programme and together with South-Ostrobothnia in Finland and Kujawsko-Pomorskie in Poland, Cornwall is now spearheading the project for this new ‘regional’ designation.
As part of the campaign, three conferences are set to take place during 2009 – one hosted by each of the three partner regions, with the first in Poland beginning on April 20th. As a representative of Cornwall’s younger population, Adam - who is currently studying for a degree in Broadcast Journalism at University College Falmouth - will attend the week-long event together with members of Cornwall Council, including Jeremy Rowe, the Community Services Portfolio-holder, and the Cornish strand of the EROC creative team led by North Cornwall-based filmmaker Beatrix Milburn among others.
“This is a huge honour and a great opportunity” acknowledges Adam, “And coming from an area of such natural beauty and witnessing firsthand the traditions and customs that Cornwall has to offer, I look forward to talking and discovering what young people in Kujawsko-Pomorskie think about their surroundings and the opportunities that are on offer to them".
Adam is one of five young people from Cornwall who were selected by the Real Ideas Organisation or RIO (www.realideas.org) to take part in the EROC campaign. Francesca Smith, Miriam Walker and Abbey Crosby from Cornwall College Camborne were also brought on board, along with Tom Berridge from University College Falmouth. For the Poland conference, part of Adam’s task will be to report on his experiences and findings through a web blog on the EROC website. The youth team will then also be responsible for making a contribution to the subsequent conferences in Finland this August and in Cornwall in November.
“Part of RIO’s ethos is to build connections and develop new, social and enterprise links between young people on a local, national and international level,” says Lindsey Hall, one of the Directors of RIO, which is developing and supporting the youth involvement. “RIO is a partner in the EROC campaign because we believe it is vital for the future, to recognise, celebrate and invest in the distinctive culture of regions. We need to involve young people from the beginning and this is an extremely good opportunity to do just that.”
Director of the EROC campaign Miranda Bird adds: “The campaign is all about being inclusive not exclusive and so it is really important that Cornwall’s younger population are represented and informed about what we are doing. There is a huge amount of emerging talent here in Cornwall and we should all be very proud of that. Getting this designation would bring major benefits to people in Cornwall, young and old. This campaign is all about celebrating Cornwall’s cultural identity and the lives and experiences of the younger members of the community are an integral part of that. They are, after all, the future of Cornish culture.”
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