Council conclusions on young creative generations

(2019/C 189/06)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

HAVING REGARD TO:

— the political background highlighting the importance of creating a Union where young people receive the best possible education and training and can study and find jobs across the continent and stating the need to provide better opportunities for young people through concrete measures and enhanced EU programmes, as set out in the Annex,

— the New European Agenda for Culture, adopted by the European Commission in May 2018, which underlines the importance of culture and creativity for society and for the competitiveness of the European economy,

— the objectives of the Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022, adopted on 27 November 2018, and its recognition that stronger orientation towards the needs of specific groups, such as young people, is necessary for improved cohesion and well-being.

AWARE THAT:

— Engaging young people has to be a cornerstone of future policies, and listening to their voice will therefore be critical in the years to come.

— Children and young people face many challenges in today's globalised world and therefore it is important for them to understand cultural values and diversity as they prepare for life as global citizens.

— Digital developments have changed the creation, production, dissemination, transmission and consumption of cultural and creative works, facilitating those works' global reach. The digital world has shaped innovative patterns of access to culture, and of personal reinterpretation and self-expression, arousing keen interest among young people and engaging them as active audiences.

— Young people need new skills to face specific challenges, such as unemployment, social exclusion, migration, and new technologies that, despite the advantages they bring, may also increase inequalities and reinforce cultural and economic differences.

— The development of artistic and creative skills and the fostering of talent lie at the heart of the cultural and creative sectors, driving innovation, including social innovation, to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

— Language skills are essential for mobility in the European Union as regards education, training, access to culture and access to the European labour market.

CONSIDERS THAT:

In the light of the above, it is important to take further steps to address the following five priorities:

— promoting better access to culture and participation in culture for children and young people;

— reinforcing cross-sectoral cooperation, with a focus on the synergies between culture and education;

— facilitating youth entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative sectors;

— fostering the emergence of new talent;

— promoting digital skills and media literacy.

POINTS OUT THAT:

— Cultural organisations, educational institutions and youth work play a key role in laying the foundations for creativity, which is crucial for the development of society as a whole.

— A more strategic approach to children's and young people's participation in culture is needed, in order to foster their creativity and critical thinking and help them develop skills that are important for their well-being, learning, sense of belonging, active citizenship, social inclusion and future employability or ability to start a business.

— The cultural and creative skills acquired through formal, non-formal and informal education, including through participation in cultural and creative activities, equip young people with the tools to be creative and inventive, to solve problems and to work collaboratively and experimentally. Experimental approaches are of key importance for promoting creativity and innovation. Artistic and cultural education, as part of a specialised or interdisciplinary approach, therefore plays a vital role both in creating further opportunities for the younger generations, thereby better equipping them to face future challenges, and in fostering empowerment, personal development and mutual cultural understanding.

— It is also important to encourage measures that facilitate a smooth transition from the education system to the labour market, including by supporting youth entrepreneurship, traineeships and apprenticeships in the cultural and creative sectors.

— Young people do not represent a homogeneous group as far as their skills, education level, preparedness for the future and expectations are concerned. Initiatives and actions designed to nurture and enhance the skills necessary for entering the labour market or becoming an entrepreneur, and for adult life in general, should be tailored to the capacities the young generations already possess.

— Inequalities and economic or social barriers that might impede young people's access to and participation in culture as creators, consumers and entrepreneurs, or their access to new technologies, should be identified and addressed to ensure that the input and participation of all young people, including groups with fewer opportunities, can be fully harnessed.

— Special attention should therefore be paid to young people at risk of marginalisation due to their ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, beliefs or political opinions, in order to ensure all young people are included.

— The availability of a rich array of culture thanks to digital evolution does not necessarily guarantee access to high-quality multilingual cultural content. It is therefore essential to consolidate cultural policies promoting equal opportunities for young people, so that they can all experience culture and develop their creative and critical thinking, as well as their critical and analytical skills, all of which are crucial for them to access and interact with digital cultural content.

— Digital technologies have a positive impact on the development of creativity, as they enable new forms of expression, communication, cultural participation and criticism. In addition, creativity can play an important role in making technologies and digital services more user-friendly. Humanisation of technologies can therefore ensure that they are at the service of people and meet their needs. As both cultural creators and cultural consumers, the young generations – often digital natives – prefer new business models that did not previously exist. From this perspective, innovative financial mechanisms can foster entrepreneurship and provide an essential contribution to today's competitive, sustainable and innovation-driven creative economy.

— Acknowledging the outcomes of the Open Method of Coordination working group's report, ‘The role of public policies in developing entrepreneurial and innovation potential of the cultural and creative sectors’, it is crucial to take into account the particular characteristics of the cultural and creative industries, namely the variety of the value chains and the fact that most companies in these sectors are small or micro enterprises or consist of self-employed persons. Measures supporting the creativity and entrepreneurship of young generations should therefore address these distinctive characteristics.

INVITES MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION, WITHIN THE SPHERE OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPETENCE AND WITH DUE REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY, TO ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING FIVE PRIORITIES:

1. Promoting better access to culture and participation in culture for children and young people

Member States and the Commission are invited to:

(i) continue to create opportunities for children and young people to access and participate in culture, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in order to reduce disparities and social inequality, and to reach the broadest possible audience; ensure equal opportunities for children and young people both in cities and in rural areas, in order to remove barriers to equal access to and participation in culture, via cultural organisations and events or by digital means;

(ii) facilitate active participation in culture by promoting co-creation and multilingualism;

(iii) encourage cultural organisations to promote and adapt the content they offer, including through digital technologies, to better reach children and young audiences and increase their interest in culture, artistic expression and science;

(iv) advance evidence-based policies through regular monitoring of children's and young people's cultural consumption, behaviour and preferences, as well as of their achievements in terms of creativity and language skills;

(v) further promote reading among children and young people, as an essential means to discover culture in all its manifestations and expressions.

The Commission is invited to:

(i) support best practice exchanges and peer-learning activities among the Member States;

(ii) support innovative initiatives designed to improve young generations' access to and participation in culture as creators, consumers or entrepreneurs.

2. Reinforcing cross-sectoral cooperation, with a focus on the synergies between culture and education

Member States and the Commission are invited to:

(i) support artistic and cultural education, thereby promoting experiences of and participation in cultural activities, as well as unlocking the potential of digital technologies to help provide access to culture and languages;

(ii) encourage cooperation between schools, artists, other cultural professionals and cultural organisations in learning activities dedicated to children and young people;

(iii) promote the education and training of teachers and other professionals to foster creativity in children and young people;

(iv) support cross-sectoral action on cultural awareness and cultural expression and promote the acquisition of relevant competences and skills, including artistic and language skills.

The Commission is invited to:

(i) develop projects and actions fostering creativity in education, including by cooperating with international organisations, such as the OECD, the Council of Europe and Unesco, and extend the focus on creative and critical thinking to all levels of education and training, including by promoting STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics);

(ii) promote and disseminate the results of the above-mentioned initiatives, both in the relevant Council preparatory bodies and to a wider audience.

3. Facilitating youth entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative sectors

Member States are invited to:

(i) consider optimising the use of available funding to support creativity and youth entrepreneurship projects, where relevant;

(ii) encourage the development of cultural and creative industry incubators, residencies, business accelerators, clusters and creative hubs, and cultural digital platforms, and promote cross-sectoral partnerships and networks;

(iii) foster entrepreneurial culture, creativity and innovation through lifelong learning, from an early stage and through formal, non-formal and informal education, paying considerable attention to the use of design thinking and training opportunities, for example in the form of entrepreneurial initiatives both before and after the implementation of a business plan;

(iv) consider how to create favourable conditions for cultural start-ups managed by young people, supporting cross-sectoral innovation.

The Commission is invited to:

(i) foster cultural and creative entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral networks among young people, highlighting their potential to stimulate the development of cultural and creative professionals through mobility, including exchanges, co-working and co-creation, study visits and peer-learning activities;

(ii) support partnerships between cultural and creative professionals and industries, including through the promotion of start-ups, creative hubs and incubation networks, in order to incorporate cutting-edge technology and science within creativity, art and design.

4. Fostering the emergence of new young talent

Member States are invited to:

(i) consider strengthening cooperation between cultural and educational stakeholders in order to support creative talent, encouraging competition related to innovation and rewarding creativity in the cultural sphere;

(ii) widen access to new technologies, including for young people with fewer opportunities, in order to empower talented young individuals.

The Commission is invited to:

(i) promote culture and creativity, including through artistic education under the relevant EU programmes;

(ii) support the development of young creative talent through multilingual platforms, mobility schemes and policies.

5. Promoting digital skills and media literacy

Member States are invited to:

(i) foster digital skills, media literacy and creative and critical thinking, including through the use of relevant EU programmes and funds, as they are vital to ensure the employability of the younger generation and their ability to adapt to structural changes in digital technologies. Public/private partnerships can serve as a link between education, civil organisations and businesses;

(ii) promote the creative use of technology, creative and critical thinking, and analytical skills through formal, non-formal and informal education, including open education resources, in order to develop young people's ability to assess information;

(iii) continue the exchange of best practices and research among experts and policy makers so as to enhance the acquisition of media literacy skills.

Member States and the Commission are invited to:

(i) support media literacy measures, which are crucial for using digital technologies and which have a significant influence on young people's creative and critical thinking, access to culture, understanding of cultural phenomena and ability to create content;

(ii) support the training of teachers and youth workers in formal, non-formal and informal education, with a view to properly equipping them to address media literacy when working with children and young people.

The Commission is invited to:

(i) continue its consultation with expert communities in the Member States on the best ways of aggregating and promoting – including through appropriate online tools – existing initiatives in order to build on them and raise awareness among young people of key issues related to the digital media environment, such as participation and creativity, credibility, critical thinking and informed choices, and respect for privacy.

CALLS ON THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION to make use of available resources to prepare the young creative generations for the opportunities and challenges of the future.