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National Arts and Cultural Education Network

Potential for building links

National Arts and Cultural Education Network

Why the National Cultural and Arts Education Network?

In accordance with UNESCO’s Road Map for Arts Education, one of the common objectives of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia (MC), the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (MESS), and the National Education Institute Slovenia (NEIS), is the establishment of a national arts and cultural education (ACE) network. Examples of good practices at home and abroad show that the development of quality arts and cultural education in formal and non-formal education is fostered by partnerships between cultural institutions and educational institutions and support of governing bodies from the local to the national level.

In developing networks of arts and cultural education (ACE) coordinators in cultural institutions, educational institutions, and local communities and their integration into regional networks and the national ACE network, we aim to contribute to a more systematic and especially more accessible ACE in several respects: content-related, geographical, and financial.

Benefits of the National Arts and Cultural Education Network

Experiences of good practices abroad, as well as some examples of national good practices, have already confirmed the benefits of forming networks:

  • Contributes to raising awareness of the importance of culture and art for the personal development of individuals and society at large;

  • Contributes to a more systematic and organisationally more effective implementation of quality arts and cultural education (ACE) at the local, regional and national levels – we enable children, young people and adults to develop an appreciation of, and gain experience in, all areas of culture and the arts, while developing their interest in arts and culture – both in terms of cultural event attendance (development of cultural literacy and audience development) and cultural expression (future artists and cultural workers, …), which also has long-term effects on society as a whole – e.g. on the development of creative industries, cultural tourism,… ;

  • Facilitates building links and cooperation among professional staff at educational institutions and cultural institutions – encouraging new creative partnerships, joint projects between educational institutions and cultural institutions/artists…, all of which contributes to an innovative learning environment, creative learning, development of creativity and critical thinking, …;

  • Contributes to a more accessible arts and cultural education (in terms of organisation, funds, geographical availability…) throughout Slovenia;

  • Facilitates the planning and implementation of national ACE projects;

  • Enables joint training of professional staff at educational institutions and cultural institutions (at national, regional, or local levels);

  • Improves access to information – monthly newsletters circulated among registered coordinators/networkers – updates on current events/developments in the arts and cultural education.

Vision for the development of the National Arts and Cultural Education Network (ACE)

 Since 2014, following the example of various international good practices, we have been developing a national arts and cultural education network (network for creativity), which includes the National Committee for Arts and Cultural Education (NC ACE), whose members comprise representatives of the Ministry of Culture (MC), the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (MESS), and the National Education Institute Slovenia (NEIS). The national ACE coordinators are an important part of the network: appointed by the MC across the full spectrum of culture and art, each is responsible for building links between all professional cultural institutions in their respective fields (e.g. the Slovenian Film Centre is the national coordinator for film education). The ACE coordinators at educational institutions, cultural institutions, and in local communities are an integral component of the network.

Coordination of the national network is the responsibility of the national Cultural Bazaar project, whose members (the programme and coordination committees) consist of national ACE coordinators – representatives of the MC, the MESS, and the NEIS – and national ACE coordinators across all fields of culture.

Since 2014, several local communities have called for the establishment of local ACE networks and, at the national level, efforts are being undertaken to establish regional ACE networks connecting educational institutions, cultural institutions, and local communities in a region.

Arts and Cultural Education (ACE) Coordinators

Who are arts and cultural education (ACE) coordinators?

All cultural institutions, educational institutions, and local communities across Slovenia, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 22, 26 and 27) and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (Articles 29 and 31), ensure the accessibility of quality culture and cultural activities to all generations, and most particularly to children and young people, in the context of both formal and non-formal education (quality and creative leisure time activities). Professional staff at the above-mentioned institutions and/or their teams are responsible for sustaining systematic progress in this field.

An ACE coordinator is a professional ‘ambassador’ for the development of ACE in their institution: interested in culture and education, they are knowledgeable in this area or aim to gain further expertise in the field.

Who are the arts and cultural education (ACE) coordinators at educational institutions and what is their role?

The ACE coordinator at an educational institution is the contact person who:

  • Is an educational institution’s ‘ambassador’ of culture, arts, and creativity;

  • Takes part in the planning and implementation of various joint ACE projects at their educational institution and is responsible for liaising with cultural institutions (ACE coordinators) and cultural workers (authors, artists, educators from the museums, theatres, libraries, …);

  • Creates and promotes awareness among children and young people, as well as colleagues at their educational institution, about the importance of culture and the arts, and updates them on current events in the field of ACE;

  • Is interested in and fascinated by culture and art and regularly attends additional professional training in ACE;

  • Is part of a team responsible for the organisation and implementation of cultural activities at an educational institution – the annual work plan of an educational institution that includes ACE activities in the school/kindergarten programme, to accompany various celebrations, or the closing ceremonies of various projects, etc.

Several representatives of each educational institution may register as ACE coordinators. When it comes to practice, the organisation of ACE activities is quite diversified and often depends on the size of an educational institution. Teams consist of professional staff specialising in various fields/subjects – from class teachers, art, history and Slovenian-language teachers to teachers of various optional school subjects, school librarians, school counsellors, mentors of extra-curricular activities. In some educational institutions all education professionals interested in ACE have registered as coordinators.

 

Who are the ACE coordinators at cultural institutions and what is their role?

The ACE coordinator at a cultural institution is responsible for liaising and cooperating with educational institutions, within the context of both formal and non-formal education (extramural activities, …):

  • Implements a quality cultural programme/activities in cooperation with other institutions providing various activities for children, young people and adults (e.g. the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth, youth clubs, and intergenerational centres, …);

  • Builds links/partnerships with cultural institutions in their own field and in other areas of culture (joint programmes, joint projects, …);

  • Is responsible for a quality ACE programme at their institution – catering for various target groups (formal and non-formal education – ACE as lifelong learning), and for regularly updating the professional and general public on this programme;

  • Regularly attends additional training in ACE and follows professional developments in the field;

  • Consults, mentors and informs professional staff at educational institutions, local communities, and other cultural education stakeholders.

Who are the ACE coordinators in a local community and what is their role?

The ACE coordinator in a local community is a professional working in the fields of culture and/or education, youth, or social activities and:

  • Is responsible for the development of the local ACE network – liaisons/partnerships between educational institutions and cultural institutions/cultural workers at the local level: organising local meetings of ACE coordinators, encouraging their participation, …;

  • Is responsible for providing and promoting quality ACE programmes in the local community within the context of both formal and non-formal education;

  • Assists in promoting quality ACE programmes outside formal education with the aim of ensuring availability of quality, creative, and healthy leisure time activities for children, young people, and adults in the local community;

  • Promotes joint professional training in the field of ACE for professional staff at educational institutions, cultural institutions, and other concerned parties in their local community (e.g. in association with the local Association of Friends of Youth, youth clubs, multigenerational centres, … );

  • Promotes the integration of the local network with other networks at the regional and national levels (sharing examples of good practices in the field of ACE, joint projects, …).

Benefits of joining the national arts and cultural education (ACE) network

Why would an educational institute join the national arts and cultural education (ACE) network?

The education staff responsible for the field of arts and culture at their educational institution, implemented in accordance with the educational institution’s programme, are invited to join the ACE network  – joining the network does not entail additional obligations, but assists in:

  • Raising awareness of the importance of culture and the arts for the personal development of individuals and society as a whole;

  • Improving access to information on ACE and quality ACE programmes;

  • Implementing quality ACE in a more systematic and organisationally-efficient way at the local/regional and national levels;

  • Improving the accessibility of ACE (various aspects of accessibility: organisational, financial, geographical, …) throughout Slovenia.

Moreover, the ACE network contributes to:

  • Enhancing knowledge of culture among children and young people, gaining appreciation of and experience in all fields of art and culture, developing interest in art and culture, developing creativity;

  • Better liaison and cooperation between educational and cultural institutions,

  • Building creative partnerships (joint project work between educational institutions and cultural institutions/artists), creative learning (innovative and open learning environment);

  • Facilitating participation (planning and implementation) in national ACE projects,

  • Enabling joint additional training of professional staff at educational and cultural institutions.

What are the advantages of appointing arts and cultural education (ACE) coordinators at educational institutions?

  • Monthly updates on various current ACE events across Slovenia; emphasis is also placed on providing information on events that are admission-free for ACE coordinators.

  • Some cultural institutions offer free previews of ACE events (performances, exhibitions, …) to registered ACE coordinators – access to this information is available only to registered coordinators in the platform’s special ACE Coordinators Network

  • Sharing positive experiences (examples of good practices) with other ACE coordinators, consulting on the implementation of ACE projects, getting information on current calls for applications, to which one can apply as partners or benefit from the programmes provided by the winning projects.

  • Receiving invitations to participate in national ACE projects (professional training, artists performing at educational institutions, free admission to theatre and film performances, …).

Why would a cultural institution join the national arts and cultural education (ACE) network?

Cultural workers responsible for programming arts and culture in their cultural institution and cooperating with educational institutions are invited to join the ACE network. Integration into the network enables:

  • Greater coordination among sectoral cultural institutions, as well as their joint, more comprehensive advocacy and promotion of cultural education (e.g. at meetings of school principals and other sectoral bodies – e.g. health, …) – raises the visibility of the field, as well as of individual cultural institutions;

  • Better and increased cooperation (disciplinary and interdisciplinary): joint organisation of professional training (e.g. within the framework of KATIS, …), joint preparation of specialist literature; project and programme cooperation (facilitates joint applications in response to calls for applications, …);

  • Sharing good practices among institutions – monitoring and comparing the quality of content and methods in the field of ACE (applicable to field and inter-field cooperation), knowledge transfer.

What are the advantages of appointing cultural and arts education (ACE) coordinators at cultural institutions?

  • Monthly updates on various current ACE events throughout Slovenia and staying updated on ongoing activities across the full spectrum of culture and the arts.

  • Registered ACE coordinators enjoy the option of previewing cultural education events at some cultural institutions admission-free – access to this information is available only to registered coordinators in the platform’s special ACE Coordinators Network

  • Sharing positive experiences (examples of good practices) with other ACE coordinators at cultural and educational institutions incorporated in the network, consulting on the implementation of ACE, and being informed about the current calls for applications in the field of ACE, …

  • Receiving invitations to participate in national ACE projects (professional training, artists performing at cultural institutions, free admission to theatre and film performances, …).

Why would a local community join the national arts and cultural education (ACE) network?

Professional staff in local community departments of art and culture and/or education, youth, or social activities are invited to join the arts and cultural education network (ACE) – joining the network does not entail additional obligations, but assists in:

  • Improving access to information on arts and cultural education and quality ACE programmes;

  • Implementing quality cultural education in a more systematic and organisationally-efficient way at the local/regional and national levels;

  • Improving the accessibility of ACE (various aspects of accessibility: organisational, financial, geographical, …) throughout Slovenia.

 Moreover, the ACE network contributes to:

  • Enhancing knowledge of culture among children and young people in your local community, gaining appreciation of and experience in all fields of art and culture, developing interest in art and culture, developing creativity;

  • Better liaison and cooperation between professional staff at educational and cultural institutions in your local community or region;

  • Building creative partnerships (joint project work between educational and cultural institutions/artists), promoting creative learning (innovative and open learning environment);

  • Facilitating participation (planning and implementation) in regional and national ACE projects,

  • Enabling joint additional training of professional staff at educational and cultural institutions (at the local/regional or national levels).

What are the advantages of appointing arts and cultural education (ACE) coordinators in local communities?

  • Monthly updates on various current ACE events throughout Slovenia and staying updated on ongoing activities in other regions – learning about examples of good practices and promoting examples of good practices in your region.

  • Registered ACE coordinators enjoy the option of previewing ACE events (performances, exhibitions, …) at various cultural institutions admission-free – access to this information is available only to registered coordinators in the platform’s special ACE Coordinators Network.

  • Sharing positive experiences (examples of good practices) with other ACE coordinators at cultural institutions, educational institutions, and in local communities incorporated in the network, consulting on the implementation of ACE, and being informed on current calls for applications in the field of ACE.

  • Receiving invitations to participate in national ACE projects.

Registration and more information

How do I register?

Coordinators register by filling in a form on our website. On registering, they receive an ACE coordinator card and choose a password to access the free programmes.

What are the benefits of a registered ACE coordinator card?

In cooperation with Slovenia-wide cultural institutions across the full spectrum of culture we gather information on ACE programmes (exhibitions, theatre performances, …) which the registered coordinators can attend free of charge on presenting their ACE coordinator’s card and an identity card.

How does the networking work? How can you find partners and establish cooperation?

The Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the National Education Institute Slovenia annually organise several free professional training sessions in the field of arts and cultural education (ACE), all of which are also aimed at registered ACE coordinators. All these events feature designated meeting points where coordinators can establish contact, share ideas/experiences, and establish cooperation.

Furthermore, every year we organise a one-day professional training session for registered ACE coordinators from all over Slovenia – Building a Network for Creativity. Within the context of this professional training, we present examples of good practices of successful cooperation at different levels that can assist us in our work. We devote a large part of the meeting to active participation by all attendees, to establishing contact with other coordinators, and to sharing experiences, as well as finding new opportunities for cooperation. We also address the important role of coordinators, as well as the challenges and future possibilities of the network for creativity.

Among the challenges for the future, we have already identified the need to organise shorter regional meetings that would help to strengthen cooperation and links among coordinators in a region.

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Related links

A national cross-sectoral project, the Cultural Bazaar brings together and connects educational institutions, cultural institutions, and cultural workers (authors, artists, educators from museums, theatres, libraries, …).

Kulturni bazar, Cankarjev dom

Prešernova cesta 10, 1000 Ljubljana

info@kulturnibazar.si