How can art and culture in the everyday life of the youngest children form the basis for an open-minded and inclusive learning environment? A new project across the Nordic countries will investigate this over the next two years.

 

Kulturprinsen in Viborg has just received two million DKK for a two-year strategic partnership project under the EU's Erasmus+ programme. The starting point for the project is to put arts and culture on the agenda in the day-care sector and in primary school (children aged 0-8). But with the added 'leg' of focusing on children with special needs.

"Children have a natural and immediate ability to explore everything around them, and it is this ability that must be developed and strengthened in their encounter with art and culture and in their understanding of their own presence and interaction with others. The project will demonstrate how a focus on art and culture in everyday life can help create space for children to develop basic social, cognitive, emotional and physical skills," says Ulla Voss Gjesing, Centre Manager at Kulturprinsen in Viborg.

Art EQUAL will be organised in cooperation with five partners from Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Latvia. The project builds on the Kulturprinsens experience from the European Cultural Children project, which will end in autumn 2017 and is supported by Aarhus 2017 and Region Midt. The project is therefore an example of how Aarhus 2017 is helping to create forward-looking development

Need to further develop methods together with the pedagogical staff

The project is based on a common need to further develop concrete methods on how pedagogical staff in daycare, kindergarten and preschool can cooperate with professional artists and cultural mediators.

"By promoting the interaction between educators, teachers and practitioners, the intention is to develop and implement practical methods that can ensure the inclusion of vulnerable children in learning contexts - methods that can be disseminated to others in the field of child education at local, national and international level," Ulla Voss Gjesing explains.

The project will develop products including an online learning platform with methods and tools for arts practitioners, educators and teachers, a publication with good practice examples and a curriculum for a continuing education course in collaboration with VIA University College. In addition, the project partners will develop a framework for an implementation strategy to promote dialogue and cooperation between local actors from the municipality, institutions, schools and the cultural field.

As part of the product development, a wide range of activities will take place such as mapping of existing methods at Nordic level, practical workshops and learning sessions, exchange visits, seminars and a final international conference.

Art EQUAL is developed by Kulturprinsen and supported by Aarhus 2017 and Region Midt.

Contact information:

You can read more about Art EQUAL at www.kulturprinsen.dk. For more information on Art EQUAL, please contact Maria Bach Boserup, Project Manager at Kulturprinsen, at bos@kulturprinsen.dk or phone 27 60 14 15.