European Cultural Children is a cultural development and research project with a European dimension.

Children's foundations for the future are laid in the early years of life. European Children of Culture (EC) creates new cultural paths, new encounters and openings for children across Denmark, the Nordic countries and Europe.

EK is a development and research project that inspires and develops children's culture based on artistic and cultural forms of expression in everyday life with the 0 - 8 year old children in the center together with their educators and teachers.

In daycare and preschool, children are actively involved in exploring, experimenting and co-creating cultural activities as a continuous part of everyday life, creating a common thread in the transition between daycare and preschool.  

Objectives of the project

• Recognising, opening up, creating, communicating and maintaining cultural spaces in the everyday life of children, with inspiration from all over Europe
• To develop common reflection, learning and dissemination methods in artistic and cultural forms of expression, with the particular aim of promoting children's processes of discovery, formation and learning through practical activities
• To focus on identity formation of the youngest in a global society. Drawing on the cultural and aesthetic resources of the local area, children create their own understanding of the history and cultural roots they bring with them, while building a common foundation together
• To contribute to the interdisciplinary competence development of professional groups in Denmark, the Nordic countries and Europe: educators, teachers, artists, and researchers. The interdisciplinary practice-based collaborations of the professionals will generate knowledge and inspiration that will be used by other partners and clusters in the project and disseminated to relevant disciplines through model descriptions, seminars, conferences and the PhD project.
• To increase cultural diversity and understanding through Nordic and European co-operation. EK generates, iterates and integrates both new and tacit knowledge in dialogue between the different professions, in order to support professionally grounded learning, reflection, dialogue and action in working with artistic and cultural expressions in everyday life.

Timetable

Phase 1, Central Region, start-up:

• Spring 2015: the project is developed and anchored in cooperation with the participating core and cluster municipalities, schools, cultural and day-care institutions in the Central Denmark Region
• Autumn 2015-autumn 2017: local experimentarium in the Central Region) and local exchange visits/job exchanges

Phase 2, North, pre-project:

• 2015: cooperation with Norway, Sweden, Latvia and Finland. EU funding of phase 3
• 2016-17: Nordic/Baltic experimentarium and local and Nordic/Baltic exchange visit/job exchange, Nordic conference

Phase 3, Europe, main project:

• Spring 2016: establishment of European core and cluster partners
• Autumn 2017: European experimentarium and local, Nordic/Baltic and European exchange visits/job exchanges, European conference