Project partners
Mind The Gap in a project with four partners: the Association of Children’s Culture in Finland (project coordinator), Kulturtanken (Norway), Małopolska Institute of Culture in Kraków (Poland) and Pionirski dom – center za kulturo mladih (SIovenia).
On this page you can get to know the partners more in depth – what was their motivation to join the consortium and what change do they plan to make during the project.
Introduction
Pionirski dom is a dynamic center for creativity and cultural education, dedicated to empowering young people through a holistic approach to artistic exploration. Offering a diverse range of disciplines – including visual arts, performing arts, music, science, and language and culture learning – the organization provides opportunities for children and youth to discover their passions, develop their voices, and express themselves in meaningful ways. At Pionirski dom, young individuals grow not only as artists but as confident, collaborative members of their communities.
Mission and values
Our mission is to enrich the lives of children through creative workshops in a safe and inclusive environment. Guided by core values of freedom of expression, engagement, play, and well-being, we empower young people to connect with their communities, explore their individuality, and develop a lifelong love for the arts. By bridging education, creativity, and social inclusion, we make culture accessible to all.
Inspiration for joining the project
Mind the Gap project resonates deeply with our vision of integrating arts education within formal schooling. The project’s focus on creativity as a tool for well-being and growth aligns with their mission to empower youth through artistic engagement. The opportunity to collaborate with partners from Finland, Poland, and Norway adds valuable perspectives and expertise, creating a foundation for meaningful and lasting change.
The role of arts and culture in education
We view arts and culture education as essential to enriching school curricula by fostering creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. Arts education promotes inclusivity, cooperation, and respect, enabling students to express their ideas, navigate challenges, and develop emotional resilience. Embedding arts and culture education in schools ensures equal access to creative opportunities, supporting students’ well-being, engagement, and personal growth.
Hopes for the project
Through Mind the Gap, we aim to develop innovative methods to support self-expression, emotional regulation, and resilience through art. The project seeks to enhance collaboration between teachers, art educators, and mental health professionals, creating a multidisciplinary approach to well-being. By structuring sustainable creative activities and fostering open dialogues on challenging topics, we envision a replicable model that integrates art and mental health strategies in schools.
Learning through collaboration
By collaborating with international partners, we seek to exchange best practices in arts education, adapt innovative strategies, and address shared challenges in integrating arts and mental health in schools. This partnership will provide valuable insights, enhance programs, and strengthen their international network, contributing to a shared vision of education that promotes creativity, well-being, and cultural understanding.
Vision for long-term impact
We aspire to inspire lasting change in how schools across Europe integrate arts education with mental health support. By demonstrating the transformative role of creativity in fostering resilience and well-being, we aim to encourage widespread adoption of cultural education in school curricula. In Slovenia, we envision sustainable methods for embedding art and mental health strategies, ensuring that future generations of young people thrive as culturally engaged and emotionally resilient individuals.
Contact
Bjanka Kršmanc
Manager of Slovenian operations
bjanka.krsmanc@pionirski-dom.si
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Introduction
Kulturtanken is Norway’s national agency under the Ministry of Culture, dedicated to ensuring that children and young people have access to arts and culture. A cornerstone of our work is managing The Cultural Schoolbag (TCS), a globally unique, nationwide program that has been part of Norway’s cultural policy since 2001. TCS ensures that all school pupils in Norway experience high-quality professional arts and culture, encompassing a wide array of disciplines such as film, literature, music, performing arts, visual arts, and cultural heritage. Our expertise lies in creating equitable opportunities for young people to engage in cultural life, fostering inclusion and diversity through innovative models and national grant distribution.
Mission and values
Kulturtanken’s vision is to provide all children and young people with equal opportunities to experience, participate in, and create art and culture. This commitment is rooted in the belief that access to cultural expression is a fundamental right and an essential component of personal and societal growth.
Inspiration for joining the project
We were inspired to join the Mind the Gap project by the opportunity to engage in critical reflection and collaborative learning with international partners. We are eager to explore how we can better realize children’s cultural rights and address gaps in access to art and culture education. The project aligns with our mission to create inclusive and impactful cultural programs.
The role of arts and culture in education
Kulturtanken views arts and culture education in schools as a multifaceted and deeply personal experience. It provides a space where students can explore and develop their individuality in relation to their peers, their class, and society as a whole. By fostering self-expression and connection, arts education becomes a vital tool for personal growth and social cohesion.
Hopes for the project
Through Mind the Gap, we have high expectations for the development of practical and accessible methodological guidelines. These guidelines aim to equip practitioners across Europe with effective tools to address specific gaps in arts and culture education. We envision these resources as a cornerstone for creating meaningful change in how cultural education is delivered and experienced.
Learning through collaboration
We seek to learn from our international partners by understanding their approaches, challenges, and solutions in art and culture education. By observing the laboratories and methods developed during the project, we aim to adapt and enhance our own practices, creating more inclusive and effective cultural programs for our target audiences.
Vision for long-term impact
We hope that the methodological guidelines developed through the project will strengthen and expand practice in arts and culture education across Europe. Kulturtanken envisions the creation of a sustainable network for learning and collaboration that will endure beyond the project’s duration, fostering continuous growth and innovation in the field.
Contact
Charlotte Blanche Myrvold
Manager of Norwegian operations
cbm@kulturtanken.no
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Introduction
MIK, Małopolska Institute of Culture in Kraków, is a hub for cultural reflection and action, offering professional development programs and workshops for regional culture sector employees. With a diverse team skilled in areas such as digitalization, cultural heritage promotion, and event creation, we are committed to enhancing cultural engagement. For the Mind the Gap project, the Culture Education team brings its expertise in using art and cultural tools to create meaningful connections with youth and adults, exploring innovative approaches to education and community building.
Mission and values
Guided by the principle of 3xR —Region, React, Rethink—MIK’s mission is to foster a vibrant cultural ecosystem by sharing ideas, events, and phenomena. We value empathy, equality, and diversity, emphasizing the importance of human relationships in cultural progress. Through dialogue, collaboration, and cultural tools, we strive for sustainable and inclusive growth.
Inspiration for joining the project
We were inspired to join Mind the Gap by the project consortium’s shared commitment to bridging the gap between culture and education sectors. Past collaborations with the project partners have demonstrated the power of international cooperation to generate sustainable, context-specific solutions. This project offers an opportunity to explore how cultural and educational initiatives can complement each other to better serve shared target groups.
The role of arts and culture in education
In the context of Polish schools, arts and culture education plays a crucial role in addressing the lack of emotional education and social skills in traditional curricula. Cultural activities encourage teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and creative thinking, moving beyond mere knowledge acquisition to foster intrinsic motivation, agency, and joy. By integrating cultural education, schools can create a more holistic learning environment, addressing both the mental health challenges of students and the evolving demands of a rapidly changing world.
Hopes for the project
We aim to develop methodologies that demonstrate the tangible benefits of cultural education in schools. By focusing on practical case studies and training programs, the project seeks to bridge the gap between the cultural and educational sectors, showing teachers how cultural activities can enhance their work and support student development. The ultimate goal is to create actionable strategies that foster collaboration and mutual understanding between educators and cultural practitioners.
Learning through collaboration
Through collaboration with international partners, we seek to gain insights into how other countries successfully integrate culture and education. By understanding the arguments and methods used to facilitate collaboration between the two sectors, we aim to enhance our own approaches and create meaningful, sustainable partnerships that benefit both students and educators.
Vision for long-term impact
We aspire to develop tools that enable cultural institutions to integrate seamlessly into formal schooling systems. By crafting practical solutions for collaboration between cultural sector employees and teachers, we hope to introduce informal art and culture education methodologies into traditional educational frameworks, fostering long-lasting positive change.
Contact
Tomasz Włodarski
Manager of Polish operations
wlodarski@mik.krakow.pl
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Introduction
The Association of Children’s Culture in Finland is an NGO dedicated to ensuring that children’s rights to culture and art become a reality. Our focus is on cultural education in early childhood and basic education, and we are a network of 36 children’s cultural centres and over 60 cooperating members across Finland. Our association originated in 2003 from the collaboration of children’s cultural centres, and today we stand as a national advocate for children’s cultural rights and a hub for expertise in this field.
Mission and values
Our mission is to ensure that every child and young person has equal opportunities to participate in high-quality arts and cultural activities of their choice and to create their own artistic content. By supporting professional cultural centres for children and young people and promoting expertise in children’s culture, we aim to make cultural activities accessible, inclusive, and visible throughout Finland.
Inspiration for joining the project
We were inspired to create Mind the GAP project because of its focus on addressing gaps in education through collaborative solutions. The opportunity to work with a target group often overlooked in cultural education, such as adolescent athletes, added an exciting dimension to our efforts. Additionally, the chance to collaborate with an exceptional consortium of international partners strengthens our mission and highlights the value of collective innovation in European projects.
The role of arts and culture in education
Our view is that the role of arts and culture education is not as big as it should. Art and culture should be an integral part of the school curriculum. We believe that arts and cultural education plays a crucial role in fostering creativity, emotional expression, and social inclusion among children and young people. Providing access to cultural education not only enriches young lives but also strengthens communities by promoting understanding, collaboration, and shared experiences.
Hopes for the project
We hope to see a positive shift in attitudes toward cultural education among our target groups, particularly adolescent athletes and their communities. By engaging Finnish sports institutes and establishing lasting collaborations, we aim to expand our reach and influence. We also look forward to developing tailored solutions for art educators and schools in Finland, ensuring the sustainability of our cultural education initiatives.
Learning through collaboration
Through our collaboration within the Mind the GAP consortium, we aim to learn from the diverse approaches to bridging gaps in cultural education. By exchanging insights with our partners, we seek to adapt successful strategies to Finland’s unique context, enhancing the effectiveness of our programs.
Vision for long-term impact
We envision a future where cultural education is deeply integrated into the lives of all children and young people, including those in traditionally overlooked groups such as athletes. By fostering partnerships with sports institutes and promoting the value of cultural activities, we aspire to inspire lasting systemic change, ensuring that the arts become a cornerstone of holistic development and well-being for Finland’s youth.
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