| Go Young People Dundee 2 coincided with a school in-service day, attracting hundreds to venues at Dundee and Abertay Universities, Dundee Contemporary Arts and the Sensation Science Centre.
The day gave city youngsters the chance to sample a range of activities, find out more about learning opportunities, careers, health issues and catch a glimpse of life on a university campus. They could also meet local celebrities from Radio Tay, Dundee United and the Texol Stars ice hockey team.
Based in and around the city’s Cultural Quarter, with a focus on Dundee University’s Students’ Association building and the Bonar Hall, events included drama, dance, fashion, DJ workshops, exhibitions, live bands, video games, films, cookery demonstrations, a Japanese brush calligraphy taster, sports taster sessions and an evening disco at The Shore young person’s venue.
Two Duncan of Jordanstone Honours students led the design work for the free T-shirts for the participants and the promotional material for the event.
Abertay University also hosted a range of activities such as street football, film-making, computer games and practising sleuthing skills in the Scenes of Crime House forensics training facility.
Professor Geoff Ward from Dundee University, who chaired the GYPD2 planning group, said he hoped the day would encourage young people to think about the range of opportunities open to them.
“We wanted to bring young people from all over Dundee to the university campus and the Cultural Quarter and make the links between the city, the university, Dundee College and all the arts-based and other organisations,” said Professor Ward.
“We want to reach those who might think university is not for people like them. By hosting some of the events in DUSA and Abertay University we hope to make imagining life as a student a more real possibility.”
The event was organised under the auspices of the Dundee Partnership and also involved Dundee City Council, Careers Scotland, Dundee Rep, NHS Tayside, Fife & Tayside Wider Access Forum and a number of voluntary sector partners.
Dundee City Council director of leisure and arts Stewart Murdoch said the event was aimed at encouraging youngsters to “go for it” and it was hoped the events would help promote that attitude. |
