Work

Leveraging our expertise in youth culture, in 2023, THINKHOUSE developed the GOAL NextGen X-Change, a series of creative collaborations that culminated in the production of "Spark," an original song that became a number-one hit on iTunes. The initiative also included a live event featuring performances and panel discussions which were recorded for a GOAL NextGen X-Change podcast series.

In 2024, THINKHOUSE evolved the GOAL NextGen X-Change concept to focus on the theme of belonging, centering around the question, "What makes you feel like you belong?" This shift aimed to deepen the conversation on global citizenship by exploring personal and cultural narratives that foster a sense of connection and community.

To launch the conversation of our 2024 theme, we started by asking the Irish population key questions on belonging. In the Republic of Ireland, citizens identified:

● The World Feels Increasingly Polarized: 67% agree that the world feels ‘more polarized than ever before.’

● A Need for Greater Acceptance: Nearly half, 45%, disagree that Ireland ‘accepts everyone for who they are’, highlighting the need for generating cultures of belonging.

● Creative Culture Drives Connection & Belonging: 80% agree that all people who call Ireland home deserve to feel like they belong here, and 82% agree that creative culture (songs, stories, art & food) helps people to connect with each other and overcome differences.

● A Belonging Age Gap: Older adults are more likely to say they feel like they belong, with 37% of those aged 35+ agreeing with the statement they feel like they belong. For those aged 18-34, this falls to 27% - over two-thirds of this cohort don’t feel like they belong.

● What is Belonging to Irish people? The words used most commonly when asked about belonging were: community, family, friends, home, accepted, music, sports and local.

The results of this research informed the work THINKHOUSE and GOAL NextGen undertook together throughout 2024.

Saint Patrick’s Day Festival

GOAL NextGen kicked off a busy 2024 with a dynamic lineup of creative collaborations and cultural conversations at the Festival Quarter in Collins Barracks for the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival. The event featured the live debut of our chart-topping song "Spark" on the GOAL Global Stage, alongside diverse performances from artists like Celaviedmai and Mariachi San Patricio. The festival also included GOAL NextGen in the Tigín, where attendees engaged in discussions about hospitality and food culture, and the GOAL NextGen Stand, which offered merchandise and gathered insights on the theme of belonging. This celebration of creativity and community provided a platform for new voices and fostered connections through art, music, and shared stories.

The Welcome Wall

The Welcome Wall, designed by THINKHOUSE, was a captivating installation that featured at events like the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival. It served as an interactive space where attendees could reflect on the question, "What makes you feel like you belong?" Participants wrote their responses on notes and added them to the wall, creating a vibrant tapestry of personal insights and experiences. This collective expression of belonging engaged festival-goers in meaningful dialogue and the responses were used to inform GOAL NextGen's ongoing initiatives in 2024.

NextGen's Art X-Change

GOAL NextGen's Art X-Change spotlighted the theme of belonging through a curated collection of artworks. Spoken word Nigerian-Irish poet and performer, FeliSpeaks; Dublin-based street artist and activist, Emmalene Blake and Turkish Illustrator & Animator, Mert Tugen created pieces exploring the theme of belonging through topics like cultural identity, heritage, community connections, inclusivity and diversity.

This initiative celebrated the power of art to connect people and encouraged young audiences to embrace global citizenship, promoting a more inclusive and cohesive global community.

These artworks were the centrepiece of an art X-Change event in Dublin. The one-day public exhibition event, hosted by award-winning author and activist Leon Diop, also featured contributions from members of GOAL NextGen’s youth programme as we launched The Book of Belonging…

The Book of Belonging

The Book of Belonging was a significant project initiated by GOAL NextGen to tackle the challenges of social polarisation. The book was designed to explore the theme of belonging, encouraging participants to share their personal stories, cultural threads, and what makes them feel connected to their communities.

The book compiled responses from GOAL NextGen youth program participants and attendees at various events around the world. It provided a space for people to express their unique stories and cultural identities.

The Book of Belonging helped in fostering empathy and understanding across different cultures and backgrounds. It highlighted the shared human desire to belong and encouraged readers to consider how they can help others feel a sense of belonging.

GOAL NextGen X-Change Podcast

The GOAL NextGen X-Change podcast, hosted by Katja Mia, was a pivotal initiative in deepening the understanding of global justice issues through cross-cultural creative collaborations. The podcast aimed to explore themes of global citizenship, with a focus on the concept of "home" and "belonging" in its second season. It brought together activists, creatives, and young changemakers from around the world to share their perspectives on these themes.

Host Katja Mia, an Irish immigrant whose parents brought her to Ireland from war-torn Burundi when she was a baby, brought her unique perspective to the discussions, making the conversations more relatable and insightful. The podcast featured guests such as Tuqa Al-Sarraj, a Palestinian Dublin-based artist, and Nhial Deng, a South Sudanese-Ethiopian refugee and youth advocate. These guests shared their personal stories, cultural observations, and experiences related to belonging and identity.

The podcast created a space for honest and meaningful conversations, fostering empathy and understanding across different cultures and highlighting the importance of global solidarity and collaboration.

Explore the work here: goalglobal.org/xchange/

A Year In Results

• 29 Earned Media Pieces
• 172 Earned Social Pieces
• 7 Creative Collaborations
• 314+ Welcome Wall Engagements

The whole campaign has a combined reach of 8.1 million, over double the reach of the previous year's campaign.

Outcomes

“Each year our NextGen X-Change gets more exciting. With the Belonging theme this year, THINKHOUSE curated some incredible artistic collaborations, creating very special opportunities for our target audience to engage with themes of global citizenship. In the current political context, the importance of bringing creativity to this work is not to be underestimated.” - Vikki Walshe, Global Citizenship Manager, GOAL NextGen.

GOAL NextGen's initiatives continue to demonstrate a commitment to engaging young people in global citizenship and addressing global justice issues. These projects not only raise awareness about critical global challenges but also empower young people to become active changemakers, fostering a sense of empathy, inclusivity, and solidarity across diverse backgrounds. By leveraging creativity, cultural collaborations, and personal storytelling, GOAL NextGen continues to make a significant impact in promoting global citizenship and understanding.