EN Official Journal of the European Union C 301/9

Council conclusions of 27 November 2009 on promoting a Creative Generation: developing the creativity and innovative capacity of children and young people through cultural expression and access to culture

2009/C 301/08

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

RECALLING the political background to this issue as set out in Annex to these conclusions.

AWARE: — of the long-term challenges facing the European Union and its citizens, in particular: — the need to remain globally competitive in a sustainable and socially inclusive manner; — the impact on employment and welfare provision, resulting from an ageing population and ongoing migration flows; — the need to promote intercultural dialogue, based on an appreciation of cultural diversity in an increasingly multicultural and interconnected world characterised by rapid communication, mobility of people and globalisation of markets; — the need to respond to the emerging knowledge and communication society, which is characterised by constantly evolving communication technologies and rapid exchange of information and the need to bridge the ‘digital divide’ in and between EU Member States.

CONSIDERS that:

— a successful response to these long-term challenges calls for a long-term perspective which focuses on developing the creativity and innovative potential of children and young people and equipping them with the skills and competences to face these challenges.

POINTS OUT that:

— there is growing demand for creativity, innovation, adaptability and advanced communication skills in the workforce and a need to develop flexible and evolving entrepreneurial skills;

— access and exposure to diverse cultural expressions, artistic practices and works of art from an early age is important for personal development, identity, self-esteem and an individual's sense of belonging, and for equipping children and young people with intercultural competences and other skills important for social inclusion, active citizenship and future employability;

— participation in cultural activities, including direct contact with artists, can boost the creative and innovative potential of all children and young people through stimulating creative thinking, imagination and self expression;

— promoting culture and cultural expressions in schools and other education institutions as well as in non-formal learning environments, both as specific subjects and as attractive learning approaches linking different fields of knowledge, contributes to the full development of the individual, to motivation and improved learning and to the development of creativity and capacity for innovation.

— the so-called ‘born digital’ generation in Europe are both cultural creators and consumers who, when given the opportunity, are highly adept at exploiting the potential of new media and digital technologies;

— access to culture and cultural heritage generally, and in particular the means to create and experience culture, are not available equally to all children and young people and the current economic downturn may further limit access opportunities to culture for children and young people.

IDENTIFIES, WITH DUE REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY, THE FOLLOWING SIX PRIORITIES WITH A VIEW TO PROMOTING A CREATIVE GENERATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION:

1. Include a ‘Children and Young People’ perspective in relevant policies to promote culture

Member States and the Commission should:

(i) address the specific needs of children and young people, including young culture professionals, in current and future policies, programmes and actions, particularly in the culture and media fields, with a focus on initiatives aimed at stimulating their potential for creativity.

(ii) further develop partnerships between the culture sector and other policy sectors aiming at stimulating innovation (e.g. education and research, youth, employment and social affairs, enterprise, economic growth and sustainable development), making full use of existing structures and programmes where relevant.

2. Optimise the potential of the education sector to enhance the promotion of creativity through culture and cultural expression

Member States should:

(i) promote wider access to culture and cultural expressions through both formal and non-formal education, in particular through structured and strategic partnerships at institutional and policy level. The focus should be on stimulating children's and young people’s creativity and capacity for innovation and developing intercultural competences and other key competences for life long learning, such as cultural awareness and expression.

(ii) encourage this process through, for example, specialised training and further education for teachers and others working in the education, culture and youth sectors. This process could also be accomplished through the use of modern learning methods and tools, including those based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and through an increased emphasis in schools on areas such as arts education and cultural awareness. Youth work can also include a variety ‘of out-of-school’ activities for the promotion of culture and creativity.

3. Encourage and support cultural institutions (e.g. museums, libraries, galleries, theatres) to better engage with children and young people

Member States should:

(i) encourage the efforts of cultural institutions at all levels to engage more fully with children and young people and to facilitate access to publicly owned cultural contents, for example through digitisation programmes and educational activities, including the use of ICTs, as well as through interactive solutions actively involving children and young people.

Member States and the Commission should:

(ii) continue to support the development of Europeana and promote the exchange of experience between Member States on their respective policies concerning digitisation of and public access to cultural content, in particular with a view to reaching children and young people.

4. Promote talent and creativity through culture as part of social inclusion strategies catering for children and young people

Member States and the Commission should:

(i) promote the inherent talent of all children and young people and develop creativity by incorporating culture within social inclusion strategies and programmes which cater for children and young people with fewer opportunities, including those with disabilities.

5. Promote better access to culture through the use of ICTs for all children and young people

Member States should:

(i) continue their efforts to promote better access at reasonable cost to culture and cultural expressions through the use of ICTs. Such efforts should aim to reach all children and young people and to equip them with the communication and media literacy skills needed to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by digital technology, while promoting greater awareness and understanding of intellectual property and privacy rights and responsibilities.

6. Facilitate the exchange of good practices and develop an ‘evidence base’ of knowledge in this field

In order to promote the development of evidence-based policies in this field:

Member States and the Commission should: (i) encourage and facilitate the exchange of examples of good practices in relation to the above mentioned priorities, through existing structures, in particular the open method of coordination (OMC) in the field of culture.

The Commission should: (ii) encourage and facilitate peer learning and exchange of good practices through existing structures, such as civil society platforms and internal interservice mechanisms.

Member States should: (iii) stimulate networking and the use of evaluations to better support decision making and improve future actions.

CALLS ON MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION:

Within their respective spheres of competence to work together to ensure that these conclusions are acted upon in the context of ongoing work on the European Agenda for Culture and the Work Plan for Culture 2008-2010.