7th CHILDREN TO OLYMPUS! Congress

There is no doubt that a lot is happening in the field of cultural education. In addition to numerous small-scale projects which have been launched around the country, many are hopeful that the positive development will continue thanks to large, institutionally funded programmes.

But have we found the solution? Are we investing in the right way? Does every child, every young person have the chance in the medium term at least to become acquainted with art and culture and actively incorporate them into their lives in the long term? How accessible are art and culture, and what are the obstacles? Does coincidence still play a larger role in shaping the cultural background of children and young people than the structures which are meant to promote encounter with the arts? What can we do to ensure that equal opportunity means the same thing as a fair chance?

The seventh annual “Children to Olympus!” congress investigated the accessibility to art and culture among children and young people. With lectures, podium discussions, a plenary artistic programme and parallel interactive forums on specific field-related aspects, the congress aimed to generate ideas for practical application and offered a platform for methodical/content-based dialogue between the participants. The event was open to representatives in the cultural and administrative fields, schools and kindergartens, as well as parents, artists, intermediaries and researchers.

The Cultural Foundation of German States hosted the congress in Freiburg on 25-26 June 2015 in cooperation with the Federal Cultural Foundation and the Federal Agency for Civic Education. Its cooperation partners include the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).