Access of Young People to Culture

Access of Young People to Culture

Access to culture goes beyond accessing cultural products, attending spaces and receiving information, it is also about an experience of personal development and enjoyment. Apart from classic channels and institutions, youth culture channels are dynamic and often informal, and many times do not enjoy official recognition. The study on youth access to culture in Europe illustrates that the ways young people access culture as users or creators, or simply participants of a cultural experience, are various and sometimes experimental.

Following an open invitation to tender, the European Commission selected the Interarts Foundation to carry out this study.

It aimed to answer the following questions:

* What are the areas where actions aimed at fostering access of young people to culture can and have been taken?

* What are the relevant practices carried out by national authorities and other actors (NGOs, local communities, associations) in different Member States?

* What are the main obstacles that hinder young people’s access to and participation in culture?

The study uses concrete examples and practices from different sectors and parts of Europe, such as financial incentives to cultural consumption, projects using new technologies or projects engaging young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in culture.

The study illustrates inter alia the need for building bridges between school, family, youth workers and community, as well as the administrations in charge of youth, culture, education, family and social affairs and other involved actors. To that aim, it suggests strategies to be developed at all levels of governance.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/pdf/doc1790_en.pdf