History of Association
The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture issued a Programme for Children’s Culture (2003–2007) which resulted in the establishment of the Taikalamppu (Magic lamp) network of children’s cultural centres. The Ministry’s ambition was to develop arts and culture services for children and young people across Finland by supporting the operations of existing cultural centres for children, and by promoting the introduction of services in the areas where there had previously been none.
The Ministry of Education and Culture selected seven children’s cultural centres to be members of the Taikalamppu network (2003–2005) and by 2013 it had expanded to include eleven members. The Ministry set specific development tasks for the network’s members, targeting various areas and art disciplines. The cultural centres were granted a special state subsidy.
The Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centres was established on the foundation laid by the Taikalamppu network in 2015. There were 14 founding members. Some of them receive a state subsidy, the criteria of which are determined by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Membership in the Association is not contingent on the state subsidy, rather the Association accepts its members independently based on their application.
The Ministry of Education and Culture provides the funding for the Association’s daily operations.
Picture: The year 2023 year marks the 20th anniversary of the birth of Taikalamppu (Magic Lamp), a network of experts in children and youth culture centres.
