Youth spaces of care and art at Tvibit

Abstract

This research addresses the gap in research on youth arts spaces with a specific focus on their role as social infrastructure through a case study of the youth house Tvibit in Tromsø, Norway. Youth and staff everyday experiences of Tvibit and informal arts learning were explored through semi-structured interviews, observations, and a zine workshop to understand how Tvibit’s public space acts as a third place and space of care. The theoretical concepts of social infrastructure, third place, and spaces of care informed a thematic analysis, which revealed the importance of making youth creativity visible in a city, opportunity for encounters and co-presence, as well as informal care and peer support. The theoretical framework responds to calls to integrate care into conceptualizations of social infrastructure (Hall, 2020) and builds on Campbell (2022)’s findings that mutual support and informal care amongst youth facilitates participating in the arts. Oldenburg (2023)’s concept of third place is used to explore the ways in which Tvibit provides social connection outside of home and other obligations.

The findings highlight the benefit of social connection that Tvibit offers to youth new to the city and immigrants that participated in the research. The informal setting of Tvibit’s public café offers a place for small talk for youth that was described as unique in the city, and co-presence through a shared arts activities offers the opportunity to connect with others based on common interests. Democratizing access to arts participation and project-based arts learning in combination with welcoming and open public space was described as fundamental to fostering collaborations and providing an audience for youth art. This research adds to an understanding of the importance of public spaces for youth in cities to create and flourish, as well as to access connection and care in everyday life.