„Every duck is different!“
Challenging (Y)our Perspectives on Europe and Cultural Learning

International Conference, 16 – 18 October 2019 // Dortmunder U – Center for Arts and Creativity, Dortmund (Germany)

Cultural and creative learning is a powerful means of developing children and young people because of its capacity to foster simultaneously their social, emotional and intellectual growth. Artistic processes model practices which nurture the critical faculties, self-confidence, tolerance and willingness of young people to take responsibility – important prerequisites for democratic action and active participation in society.

In recent years, co-operation between schools and cultural practitioners has gained considerable importance in the embedding of creative and cultural learning practices in the classroom – and this is now evident in national and regional programmes in most European countries.

But how can the potential of cultural learning in such partnership programmes be enhanced to prepare young people for life in a diverse society? How can important, but complex, topics such as diversity be creatively embedded in local partnerships between cultural practitioners and teachers? What role can training and further education play in this? What impact can cultural and creative learning have on the growth of Euro-scepticism? What is the effect of cross-border co-operation, encounters and other transnational programmes on the development of young people?

In a three-year pilot project, the German Federation for Arts Education and Cultural Learning (BKJ) and the international foundation Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) investigated these questions with partners from all over Europe. Together, ideas were developed and tested as to how the themes of diversity, Europe and cross-border encounters can be integrated into partnership projects and successfully conveyed in multinational training courses for teachers and cultural practitioners.

To complete the project, the international conference „Challenging (Y)our Perspectives on Europe and Cultural Learning“ will take place from 16 to 18 October 2019 in the Dortmunder U.

During the conference the learning from various stages of the process will be shared together with elements of the multinational training programme that was developed for teachers and their out-of-school partners. The format of the conference will combine highly interactive laboratory environments with group discussions and round tables in small groups and there will be opportunities to meet practitioners from a range of European countries to plan new international partnerships to be implemented after the conference.

Participants at the conference will be coming from practice, research and politics from all over Europe. It will be organised in co-operation with the project’s pan-European partners.

Conference Language will be English. Translation cannot be provided.

Preliminary programme of the conference

Please note that open registration is not possible anymore. The organising partners will provide information about the outcomes after the conference.