Youth cultures and cultural youth work Philosophy Enjoyable activities to develop self-awareness and help young people build their identity. Cultural activities allow people to interact in a positive framework. Cultural youth work means: Cultural participation Social strengthening Supports identity development Methods and activities Support young people's ideas Provide opportunities and training in: band activities, crafts, visual arts, dance, theatre, media, arranging of cultural events. History Gloria first opened on 18 January 1999. Finding a place required a lot of work. About 48,000 visitors a year About 4,000 performers and 3,000 organizers About 215 events Visitors mostly between the ages of 15 and 25 Objective To support participationin culture To create interaction between professionals and amateurs To make possible individual cultural events To find a balance between culture and money To develop tools for cultural youth work To develop new ways to produce cultural events Strategy As well as in the whole Youth Department of City of Helsinki the participation and social empowerment are our strategial objectives. In additional in Gloria our strategy consists Networking between different groups Respond to challenges Get positive attention in the media for young people's events Establish Gloria's activities Activities Gloria is open about 6 days a week. Music, theatre, performing arts, circus, clubs, discos, fashion shows, gallery, cafe, meetings, training, rentals to businesses.