CULTURAL
MANIFESTO
The following Manifesto was written by 26 Royal Greenwich residents aged 13-30, establishing their wishes as young creatives living, going to school and working in the borough.
OUR VISION
GREENWICH IS THE CREATIVE EPICENTRE OF LONDON
A borough where creativity belongs to everyone.
Where art is visible, accessible and celebrated.
Where communities flourish, stories matter, and no one is left out.
WHAT WE WANT
INCREASED INCLUSION AND REPRESENTATION OF OUR COMMUNITIES
Affordability, visibility and accessibility. Greenwich must represent all of us, with space for every voice, culture and identity. We need to bridge social, class and age gaps, celebrate community traditions, highlight minority leaders and create supportive, safer and more inclusive communities where people truly feel seen. Any regeneration must continue to benefit the entire Royal Borough of Greenwich Community.
ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Artists deserve stability and the chance to work creatively where they live, with access to financial support, paid opportunities, bursaries, grants, childcare and help with travel costs. We need strong support for local businesses and the upkeep of community and third spaces. Support that empowers artists in the borough to create events that attract people nationally and internationally.
GREATER LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES
We want greater local opportunities, from artist residencies and mentorship to youth clubs, theatre clubs and creative hubs that offer spaces to meet, create and showcase work. Better outreach, communication and visibility of opportunities based on merit, not who you know.
Opportunities that introduce non-artists to the arts. With regular clubs, creative gatherings, volunteering, work experience for under-18s, opportunities for 18-plus, and events that build hype and connection.
MORE SPACES THAT BRING US TOGETHER
We want to celebrate places where people can meet, create and connect, from creative venues, third spaces and heritage sites to indoor hubs, digital spaces and pop-ups that offer room to experiment without pressure.
Greenwich must continue to promote its accessible gathering spaces to encourage the exploration of ideas and highlight our exceptional local creative hubs, such as the creative district at Woolwich Works and the Greenwich Peninsula design district.
With flexible, inclusive venues across the borough, from covered markets to immersive rooms and reimagined unused spaces, where collaboration between artists, venues and communities can flourish.
BETTER ARTS EDUCATION AND TRAINING
We need clearer education about the options available to work and participate in the arts, alongside regular community events and an arts curriculum that isn’t just for the privileged few. Skills, culture and learning should be accessible in both formal and informal spaces, with everyone able to see the opportunities on offer in ways that feel relatable.
Stronger promotion of cultural events at arts and cultural institutions in Greenwich is essential so people actually know what’s happening across the borough.
BROADER RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATION OF OUR HERITAGE
We want to see our heritage celebrated in richer, more inclusive ways. This means supporting creative cultural initiatives, empowering diverse local groups to lead events and take ownership of heritage spaces, and hosting workshops that honour traditional food and crafts. It also means championing major community festivals like the Woolwich Carnival, Lunar New Year, and Diwali.
Furthermore, heritage sites should accommodate a wider variety of cultural activities, while local museums dedicate more space to showcasing the diverse stories and histories that shape us.
ACTIONS
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Develop clear creative career pathways, including mentorship networks and structured work experience.
Collaborate with the Department for Education and local governments to improve and promote the arts and media curriculum in state schools with better equipment and creative teaching time, which in turn promotes alternative and positive creative outlets and freedom of expression.
CULTURAL PROGRAMMING & HERITAGE
Scale up and strengthen the borough’s landmark annual celebrations, such as the Woolwich Carnival, Lunar New Year, and Diwali, while exploring opportunities for new, borough-wide music festivals and creative fairs.
Continue to expand heritage programming: portrait prizes, themed museum programmes, and the use of heritage sites for new formats.
Run workshops (food, craft, traditions) that blend culture and art to encourage community engagement and participation from those who may not have considered creative activities before.
Deliver short creative workshops for skills-building across formal and informal spaces.
Continue to provide and expand volunteering opportunities linked to cultural events.
VISIBILITY, COMMUNICATION & PROMOTION
Optimise Greenwich’s digital channels to provide wider promotion of cultural events with more engaging material tailored to increase youth engagement (such as dedicated Instagram accounts for daily events, updates, and educational spaces, and a dedicated TikTok channel for Gen Z, X, and millennials). Engage young creators in the content production process to cultivate an authentic voice that resonates with young people and maximises audience reach.
Use the big video screen in Woolwich Square to show youth-made films, art, and music.
Create a cultural bulletin listing all workshops, exhibitions, youth opportunities and free events.
Utilise educational institutions and alternative youth environments to actively inform young people about creative pathways and cultural institutions, thereby optimising the visibility and accessibility of creative opportunities.
Create a Greenwich mascot that is recognisable for merchandise and promotional purposes.
YOUTH, COMMUNITY & CREATIVE SPACES
Develop dedicated creative youth hubs across the borough and set up regular youth meet-ups in existing community centres for creativity, play, study and networking (games, hangout space, creative activities).
Create a central cultural information hub — a physical and digital space known to all residents.
Provide free indoor meetups/clubs for all ages (creative clubs, theatre clubs, board-game spaces) and give existing or new communities access to spaces at discounted rates.
Open up access to vacant business spaces and existing indoor spaces for youth, community, and creative use, such as pop-up exhibitions and showcases.
Continue to support theatre/creative spaces in Greenwich.
FUNDING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Continue to deliver and expand borough-wide artist funding programmes - grants, bursaries, paid residencies - and micro-grants for local artists to run workshops or pop-up cultural activities supporting young people.
Provide travel access schemes and childcare to support artists, digital creators, creative businesses, and young people.
CONNECTIVITY & REGENERATION
Create community-designed public art projects (e.g., Woolwich High Road connecting tunnel).
Develop long-term plans to ensure regeneration benefits all Royal Greenwich communities.
Establish structural equity for working-class creators through localised open calls and targeted funding.
Introduce a public toilet scheme and basic facilities to make creative spaces more accessible for all.
Pilot youth‑programmed screenings and pop‑up cinema using existing venues and the Woolwich Square screen.