My place

The Old Library, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire Youth Service

Key principle: Young people's outcomes - impacting on young people's lives, particularly those living within deprived communities and those who would not otherwise participate in positive activities.

The Old Library opened as an arts and media centre in February 2007, bringing together a range of facilities and expertise under one roof. It provides high quality arts activities for young people across the county. The Old Library's programme and activities are set through consultation with young people. Its regular programme supports weekly arts groups including youth theatre, youth dance and boys' dance groups, and a visual arts group. It supports a range of music projects at The Old Library and other youth centres around the county including the use of a mobile recording studio. In addition to these regular activities the county's annual programme is divided into two main parts - the County Youth Arts Showcase and an annual themed project. The first of these, a two-night show at the Palace Theatre in Mansfield, reached over a thousand young people last year and preparations for this year's event started in May. Last year's themed project was "hearts and minds", which culminated in a multi-media event in February.