Turning Tables

Turning Tables Denmark is an NGO that works with children and youth in social housing areas all around Denmark. Using film, music and photography as creative tools in their work with the youth, the organization strives to build positive communities centered around the co-creation of art and events, in which the participants learn not only the creative, technical and social skills to take an artistic product from A-Z, but also the practical skills involved in creating an event. In the day-to-day work with Turning Tables instructors, who are all professional artists within their field, the participants build new relationships, discover new ways of expressing themselves and find an outlet for their hopes, frustrations and dreams.

A central aspect of their methodology is the belief that the children and youth in the social housing areas, who are often stigmatized in mass-media, have a lot to contribute to the society and culture as a whole, and should speak for themselves, instead of only being spoken of. The aspiring artists are taken seriously, and the creative activities are not seen as merely a means for social change. This approach manifests itself in co-operations with big cultural platforms like Roskilde Festival, Cinemateket and Copenhagen Photo Festival on which Turning Tables-participants regularly present their art and perspectives to a larger audience.