The annual Children’s Culture Week is held across Finland. This year, the celebrations take place from the 13th to 19th May 2024 and will be the time to honour children’s arts and culture and enjoy a rich programme all over Finland.
Children’s arts and culture are important today and in the future, which is why we are celebrating for a whole week this May. There will be content from circus to word arts, dance to theatre, workshops to exhibitions and entire festivals all around Finland. The content is aimed at children, young people and families. Most of the programmes are free of charge.
The week can be celebrated by taking part in the week’s programme or by celebrating it in your own way at school, kindergarten, library, art museum, hobby or home. The programme for the week can be found at lastenkulttuurinjuhlaviikko.fi/en.
Children’s Arts and Culture Is More Important Than Ever
Children and young people are suffering from recent and forthcoming cuts in the state budget. The climate crisis, the war in Europe and other worries are weighing on young minds.
Children are the architects of our common future and the welfare society of the future. They are the workers, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, scientists, inventors, and decision-makers who will shape our world. Arts and culture are proven to support their growth, learning, empathy and overall well-being.
The arts have a positive impact on problem-solving, social skills, and preventing exclusion, making children’s culture more important than ever.
Art and culture belong to all children. They are a right of all children – even more so than adults, because art and culture are included in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and as a society have signed it” says Aleksi Valta, Director of the Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centers.
Making the Impact of Children’s Arts and Culture Visible
Children’s Culture Week highlights the role of arts and culture in supporting children’s overall well-being. Finland has a skilled and enthusiastic children’s arts and culture sector that provides high-quality arts and cultural services for and with children.
The Week also aims to highlight children’s artistic activities and participation in culture. It is important for children and young people to be seen and heard and to feel accepted and valued. Self-expression through the arts is a meaningful form of participation for every child and young person.
Cultural inclusion, supported by children’s arts and culture, promotes children’s and young people’s ability to be active citizens in society throughout their lives. It is also important to understand that the growth of children and young people as creators and experiencers of culture is central to the development of Finnish civilisation,” says Fatim Diarra, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Board of the Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centres.
Equal Children’s Culture
Children’s Culture Week is organised and coordinated by the Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centers. Its members and partners from all over Finland are involved in producing the programme.
The main task of the Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centers and its 37 member centres is to promote the right of children and young people to art and culture nationwide. The Association works to ensure that all children and young people in Finland have access to high-quality, affordable and enjoyable arts and cultural activities and opportunities to experience different arts and cultural hobbies.
Find out more about the Children’s Culture Week:
The Association of Finnish Children’s Cultural Centers
Hanna Nordström, Communication Coordinator
+358 44 368 1824
hanna.nordstrom@lastenkulttuuri.fi
