About Institut for Børnekultur

Art and culture play a crucial role in children's lives, development and education.
The mission of Institut for Børnekultur (Institute for Children's Culture) is to create the optimal framework for children to express themselves, cultivate their curiosity and be part of communities. We do this by creating professional synergy in the intersection where professional art and culture meet pedagogy in daycare, school, after-school centres and clubs.

We develop and safeguard the quality of children's cultural practice by combining practical experience with research and education, and we work based on current social agendas and local contexts. We ensure that cross-professional and cross-disciplinary collaboration results in sustainable initiatives that promote and strengthen children's culture in Denmark - for the benefit of all children.

As a national centre for children's culture, Institut for Børnekultur works to promote and strengthen the importance of art and culture in children's lives and development.

Based on the interaction between art, culture and pedagogy, our most important partners are the professionals who can help bring art and culture into children's everyday lives in daycare, school, after-school programs and clubs. This includes educators and teachers as well as professional artists and cultural communicators.

Get an overview of Institut for Børnekultur's network here 

How Institut for Børnekultur works

AESTHETICS

Art, culture and aesthetic processes are fundamental to the work of Institut for Børnekultur, and we always have the sensory and experimental in mind.

The aesthetic space opens up for creativity, involvement and curiosity and provides space for collaborators, actors and children to experience themselves as part of the process and product.

Aesthetic processes contribute to children's education and open doors to understanding themselves and the world around them.

RELEVANCE

It is crucial for Institut for Børnekultur that our work and the interdisciplinary connections we create are relevant. By this we mean that it must be meaningful and create value for the stakeholders.

With a contemporary awareness and an eye for the world around us, we develop meaningful projects and collaborations that reach into the future.

We always do our best to adapt our work to the local context without compromising on quality or professionalism.

PROFESSIONALISM

We base our work on a professional ballast gained through more than 20 years of experience as a development center for children's culture.

For us, professionalism is rooted in integrity, authenticity and professionalism in artistic and pedagogical practice.

We work with equality and respect in the intersection where disciplines meet and collaborate - both in the dialog and the execution of the work.

SUSTAINABILITY

Institut for Børnekultur works with sustainability on three levels: in the individual, in each project and in relation to the outside world.
Our projects must create change on all three levels and intervene in the future.

Our work is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and we are particularly concerned with social sustainability, which is about the human conditions that are essential for a sustainable society.

What Institut for Børnekultur can do for you

 

We define children's cultural practice as the educational space where children experience, participate in and create art and culture.

We develop participatory and interventional practices with a focus on change at all levels. We do this by creating connections and exchanges between different professional approaches. This is why Institut for Børnekultur assists, through partnerships, with the preparation of cultural analyses and sparring on the strategic basis for local children's culture. This creates awareness of the value and potential of children's culture in the local context.

We support, develop and qualify children's cultural initiatives by providing models, methods and knowledge about fundraising, evaluation practices and the development of local implementation strategies - from project to operations.

It is extremely important to us that the interdisciplinary collaborations we help to create become sustainable efforts for the benefit of all children.

We collaborate systematically at all levels to develop, share knowledge and anchor lasting and value-creating children's cultural initiatives - locally, nationally and internationally. Therefore, Institut for Børnekultur creates synergy and cross-sectoral anchoring through collaboration in sustainable structures, strategies and action plans. Part of Institut for Børnekultur's work is therefore aimed at decision-makers.

In our annual national meeting format The Children's Cultural Workspace, we create national awareness and greater understanding of the field. With questions and dilemmas, we open up a cross-disciplinary dialog on action-oriented recommendations for politicians and municipalities that help activate the full potential of children's culture.

As a national center for children's culture, we contribute new knowledge to support the quality of children's cultural practice. In collaboration with research and knowledge centers, we continuously develop and qualify the knowledge base for our work.

In education, we collaborate with the professionals of the future - pedagogues, teachers, artists and cultural communicators.

That's why Institut for Børnekultur argues for more art and culture in teacher and educator education programmes and more pedagogy in art education programmes, as well as skills development for all disciplines - for example, through EVU and certifications.

We strengthen our professional foundation by continuously seeking out and gathering relevant knowledge and experience from smaller local initiatives and large-scale children's cultural initiatives.

In collaboration with our network of national and international competence- and knowledge centers in the field of children's culture, we keep an eye on current trends and challenges.
Therefore, Institut for Børnekultur contributes to a comprehensive national overview of children's cultural initiatives.

We share research findings, experiences and available evaluation results from practice. In our communication, we create space for debate and bring children's culture into the mainstream.

Networks & Collaborators

Staff

Bylaws & Guidelines

Board of Directors

Institut for Børnekultur is an independent institution with a board of seven members. The institute receives an annual operating grant from Viborg Municipality and the state.
In addition, Institut for Børnekultur's projects are financed by funds from foundations, pools and other grant schemes.