Month: December 2023

18. December 2023
Allgemein News

New Research Projects on Cultural Education in Social Transformation

The UNESCO Chair in Digital Culture and Arts in Education at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg is entering 2024 with no less than four new research projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The research portfolio includes, among other areas, the exploration and co-design of diversity sensitive AI applications in the context of cultural and aesthetic education and the development of teacher training in the light of post-digital youth culture, digital global citizenship education and cultural resilience.

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17. December 2023
Events

February 14, 2024 – Hybrid Side Event at the UNESCO World Conference on Culture and Arts Education 2024

ENO representatives had some eventful days in Abu Dhabi 13-15 February! The new UNESCO Framework on Culture and Arts Education was adopted by Member States and ENO led a side-event as part of the conference. The event included the Arts and Culture Education network of policymakers and civil servants in Europe (ACEnet), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the European Union (EU) with the ACU-EU Culture Programme. We presented and discussed research, projects and political strategies in different countries that are built around a focus on sustainable development and collaboration and partnerships in the field.

Hybrid Side Event: Sustainable development through arts, culture and education based on collaborations and partnerships across sectors

Time and Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 9–10am (Abu Dhabi time)

Culture and education represent a vital nexus, offering distinct yet interconnected paths: education in and about the arts and culture, focusing on the acquisition of cultural and artistic competences, and education through and with the arts and culture, examining the broader impact on learning and society. This dynamic interaction plays a pivotal role in fostering sustainable development. Arts and cultural education not only nurture cultural diversity and awareness, but also enhance self-expression and creativity. Culturally-informed global citizenship education is crucial, promoting empathy and respect through a better understanding of diverse cultures and beliefs. This holistic approach seek to combat stereotypes, racism, and discrimination, contributing to more inclusive, equitable societies. Recognizing cultural diversity is also key to addressing educational barriers faced by marginalized groups, ensuring equitable access for all. The proposed panel aims at delving into the multiple significances and interactions between culture and education with the view of further strengthening and leveraging synergies to improve and accelerate the various dimensions of sustainable development. It will also cast light on the proposed UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education’s implementation modalities “Partnerships” and “Research” as it will give concrete examples of collaborative approaches that have resulted in fostering new knowledge and has helped to advocate for culture and arts education in solid ways. The panel presentations will focus on prerequisites for successful partnerships, what new knowledge has been created through these partnerships, what have been challenges to scale the outcomes of the initiatives and how partnerships both at local, regional, national and international level can help to implement the ideas of the new UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education in the future. Studies and cases to be presented involve institutions such as the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union, the European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education (ENO), an NGO in official partnership with UNESCO from 2023 (consultative status), or the Art and Culture Education Network (ACEnet) of European Agencies for Culture and Education. As part of the discussion the panel will invite perspectives to be shared on the proposed issues from discussants and from the full audience. It will open with the presentation of the outcomes of a new study on this topic coordinated by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union as part of the joint ACP-EU Culture programme (2019-2024), before presenting examples of how institutions in Europe have been successful to collaborate across sectors to advance knowledge and practice of arts and cultural education. It will end with presenting outcomes of a long-term study connecting cultural, educational and the university sectors in Africa and Europe focusing on finding ways to support sustainable development goal 4.7 on quality education through arts-integration in schools led by the University of Cape Town in South Africa and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark during 2017-2024.

“ACP-EU Culture” (2019-2024) is a joint support programme managed by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, and funded by the European Union. Key objectives include supporting the creation and production of cultural goods and services, improving access to markets for these products, and enabling the environment for cultural enterprises to thrive. This cooperative scheme also seeks to enhance the capacity of cultural practitioners and institutions, to promote cultural literacy especially among the youth, while encouraging intercultural dialogue and respect for cultural diversity. It is the result of the long-standing partnership between the OACPS and the EU in the field of culture, aimed at fostering cultural diversity and enhancing the economic potential of culture in ACP countries.

Aya Kasasa, Expert in charge of Culture, Migration, Urbanisation & Demography, Department of Political Affairs and Human Development, OACPS & Annica Floren, Deputy Head of Unit Youth, Education and Culture at the European Union/DG International Partnerships
“Shaping Futures: Arts, Culture and Education as drivers of sustainable development” is a new study commissioned by the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU) as part of the ACP-EU Culture programme. It aims to raise awareness about the nexus between culture and education, to  provide innovative and tangible arguments for greater understanding of how synergizing the two sectors can accelerate progress towards sustainable development in ACP countries and elsewhere.

Yvette Hardie, International consultant, National Director ASSITEJ South Africa
“Culture Connected” is an initiative carried out by the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD) on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research with the aim to promote active participation in arts and culture for young people in schools (6 to 19 year olds) by learning about the processes in cultural institutions like museums, theatres, concert halls, and festivals.

Sirikit Amann, Head of the Department “Education and Society” at OeAD
“Cultural Education Plan” is an internationally awarded (Europa nostra 2018) Finnish education innovation program. It is a local agreement written between educational and cultural services and arts professionals which guarantees all children and youth grades 0-9 equal possibilities to experience and participate in their local cultural offers consisting of art in all forms, cultural institutions, cultural heritage and art education. Similar plans exist in Norway, Portugal, Armenia, Croatia and Hungary, but it varies amongst the countries what the level of state governance and legislation are which makes a difference to the success of the plans to reach all.

Aleksi Valta, Director of the Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centers
“Seize the Engagement” is a national development program conducted by the Danish Ministry of Culture in 2021 and 2022. The program supported local experiments based on cross-institutional and inter-professional collaboration aiming to include more children and young people in arts educational activities. By bringing together municipalities, cultural and educational institutions as well as artists, educators, and social workers around a common aim, the program has created insight into the prospects of establishing cross-sectorial partnerships when working to support children and young people’s artistic citizenship. Additionally, researchers have assisted local projects in evaluating their activities, which points toward innovative collaborations between researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers.

Kim Boeskov, Assistant Professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen
“Cultural and Artistic Education Path (PECA)” is a national program launched in 2020 by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Ministers of Education and Culture. The PECA and a corresponding course are supported by cross-sectorial platforms and the commitment of specialists from both “worlds.” Today over 1/3 of 800 000 pupils in the region benefit from accessible PECA experiences, co-constructed as a diversified and tailored pathway all over the community, while at the same time stimulating artistic creation, curiosity and critical thinking. Researchers support the observation and evaluation of this mandatory program.

Catherine Stilmant, Head of the PECA Department of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and scientific collaborator at the University UMons
“Arts-Integrated, Intercultural and Embodied Learning and Teaching in Multicultural Schools” is an ongoing research project (2017-2024) involving artist/teacher/researchers from the University of Cape Town School of Dance, the Peter Clarke Arts Centre, the Zeitz MOCAA museum both in Cape Town (South Africa), the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and primary schools in both cities. The project crosses borders of academia and arts educational practice to develop new methods both for teaching in, about, with and through the arts, and for pursuing knowledge of how to empower children to question, live and respond to challenges in their lives within creative educational practice that integrate dance and visual arts.

Charlotte Svendler Nielsen, Chair of ENO and Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen

Sustainable development through arts, culture and education based on collaborations and partnerships across sectors

A panel planned in collaboration between the European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education (ENO), the Art and Culture Education Network of European Agencies for Culture and Education (ACEnet), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the European Union with the ACP-EU Culture Programme.

Contributions of the panel shed light on the UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education’s implementation modalities “Partnerships” and “Research” by giving concrete examples of the multiple significances and interactions between arts, culture and education and how to further strengthen and leverage synergies to improve and accelerate the various dimensions of sustainable development through partnerships both at local, regional, national and international level. The discussion highlighted the role of partnerships across sectors to promote education about, in, through and with the arts, underlined the importance of culture as a transversal competence and the broader impact of arts education on learning and society. It came across how dynamic interaction between a variety of partners plays a pivotal role in fostering sustainable development through nurturing cultural diversity, awareness and global citizenship education promoting empathy and respect through a better understanding of diverse experiences and values. It was underlined that different approaches to research including arts-based methods can advance knowledge and practice of the field of education, and  that for Member States to implement the UNESCO Framework and monitor its implementation, further work must occur in collaboration between research and practice on clarifying different understandings, and use of the concepts and terms in the field of arts education and perspectives of culture and sustainability. To scale impact of education in, about, through and with arts in a sustainable perspective more research must also be done into what defines good partnerships in schools and on how to empower teachers to lead on-going, long term arts education processes of learners. ENO as an organisation in associated partnership with UNESCO (consultative status) will initiate discussion of ideas for follow-up actions on these points with the side-event partners ACEnet, OACPS, the EU,  and the ACP-EU Programme.