Rotherham: How Children's Capital of Culture can leave lasting legacy

Rotherham is now witnessing the fruition of this youth-led vision through an extraordinary programme of events, activities, and opportunities. The initiative is also creating meaningful employment opportunities for young people aged 16-25 through paid traineeships in the creative industries, and giving young people the chance to gain nationally recognised qualifications in arts and leadership. We’re fostering connections between schools and cultural organisations, creating sustainable networks that will benefit the community long after 2025.

Children's Capital of Culture represents more than just a year of events – it's a statement about the power of young voices to drive positive change. It demonstrates Rotherham's commitment to giving children and young people an active role in shaping their community's future and making it a place they are proud to call home.

The young people of Rotherham have put green spaces, culture, diversity, creativity, skills and environment to the top of their priorities for recreating the narrative about their borough, and they felt that the economic benefits would follow if these elements were at the core.

The programme has already brought millions of pounds of investment into the borough. By working with more partner organisations across the borough, our aim is to build collective power and create revenue streams that can be used to make even more things happen throughout 2025 and beyond, helping to improve our borough and create a better future.

Since 2021, when the Children’s Capital of Culture traineeship programme first launched, over 120 young people aged 16–25 have benefited from taking part in paid jobs with some of the region’s most dynamic cultural institutions, including Sheffield DocFest, Grimm & Co, Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham United Community Trust and Gulliver’s Valley. These partnerships provide invaluable hands-on experience and insight into the cultural sector, helping bridge the gap between education and employment, ensuring that the skills developed are relevant and adaptable to the region’s evolving job market.

We believe cultural and artistic initiatives have the power to inspire lives across our community. The opportunities that Children’s Capital of Culture brings are creating a generation of skilled, creative, confident young people. These people will be an enormous asset to the local community – and the businesses that serve them. A thriving creative sector that not only attracts talent from across the region but also nurtures homegrown innovators. The investment brought in by Children’s Capital of Culture has supported cultural institutions across South Yorkshire, building a foundation for success now and in the future. In addition to this, we’ve also committed to keeping 75% of the festival activities going beyond 2025 – leaving a legacy for our borough that will continue to drive cultural and creative sector growth.

Sarah Christie is Programme Manager, Children’s Capital of Culture