“The high level of quality in this round was a positive surprise. The competition was particularly tough among projects in the folk dance, folk music and film genres, which were well represented in this round,” says Lukas Peurala, chair of the expert group for Volt.
A total of 17 applications applied for a total of EUR 680,825 in this round. Seven projects went on to be granted funding, each receiving between EUR 7,000 and EUR 70,000.
Support during the process is key
According to Lukas, the strength of Volt as a programme is that the project will and must focus on the participation of children and young people in the process. “Equally important is that there are supportive adults who can assist with the project applications and the project idea,” continues Lukas, who is himself a circus performer and a circus educator. He hopes to see even more applications in the future and encourages adults who work with children and young people be on-hand during the process.
“Young people who receive good funding in their first project experience are also better equipped to write their own applications and take their creative projects further,” notes Lukas.
Among the projects granted funding are:
- “Our Kitchen Tales”, a children and artist-led project exploring the interplay between food, culture and language.
- “Ljóð fyrir loftslagið – Lyrik till klimatet – Lýrikkur til ve∂urlagi∂ – Odes for the Climate” gives children and young people the opportunity to express their feelings and thoughts about sustainability through poetry and songs, an experience that also creates a language community across borders.
- “The Northern Script” is a programme that helps young professional screenwriters to develop their writing skills in both their Nordic mother tongue and in English.
Volt has one application round per year and the next time it opens for new applications is in the spring of 2024.
You can see all the projects granted funding in the 2023 round here