ENO Finland

Working Priorities

National Working Programme for 2023-2027

Background

At the beginning of 2023, Finland and the world are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on young people and children. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the war in Europe caused a widespread energy crisis. There are also other threats, related to climate change and biodiversity loss, that affect the future outlook. In times like this, the Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education, Finland strives to promote arts education to support social stability and the prerequisites of individuals and communities to solve challenges and maintain functional capacity.

The Finnish society has recognised the importance of arts and culture for individuals and society. Former governments have also placed emphasis on the accessibility of culture in their government programmes. The Finnish arts and culture policy emphasises that every child and young person should have an opportunity to engage in arts and culture. Arts and cultural education aims, for example, at strengthening the individual’s creative skills, cultural competence and overall wellbeing. It also has value as an area of life that strengthens general education and inclusion.

The Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education, Finland was established in 2017 on the basis of the programme proposal for children’s culture policy (Ministry of Education and Culture 2014). It is a member of the European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education (ENO). The ENO network requires its members to draw up a national working programme. The programme of the Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education, Finland follows the ENO network’s rules and UNESCO policies on arts and cultural education. The first national programme outlined the purpose, key objectives and measures of the Observatory’s activities for 2017–2022. This programme outlines objectives and measures for the next five-year period (2023–2027). To support the implementation of the national programme, an annual operational plan will be drawn up, which confirms the Observatory’s duties and division of labour.

Objective

The objective of the Finnish Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education is to strengthen the equal accessibility and impact of arts and cultural education and to improve the social position of the sector and research in the field. The Observatory promotes the connection between research and practice in arts education and embedding research data into decision-making.

The programme period 2023–2027 will continue to strengthen the operating conditions of arts and cultural education and to influence decision-making on the basis of research data. Accessibility of arts and cultural education in all age and target groups will be supported. Awareness of the multidisciplinary impact of arts and cultural education and research in the field will be strengthened.

One particular aim during the programme period is to strengthen the position of arts education research as a field of science and to influence the resourcing of arts and cultural education research. The aim is also to enable cooperation between research units and the field and the implementation of extensive long-term research and cooperation focused on developing the field.

During the programme period, particular attention will be paid to the importance of arts and cultural education in the midst of societal crises and challenges. The aim is to highlight that the resources invested in arts and cultural education and the systematic development of the sector will strengthen our national resilience. It is essential to identify the means and opportunities of crisis-aware arts and cultural education and communicate about them. The objective also involves an enhanced emphasis on sustainable development, eco-social education, and democracy and peace education in the contents and methods of arts and cultural education. The possibilities provided by arts and cultural education to support the integration of children and young people from other countries are a concrete area of activity where arts education, crisis awareness and peace education come together.

Another key operational objective for this programme period is to influence the national core curriculum for basic education, which will be reformed during this government term. The position of arts education must be strengthened in the curriculum for basic education.

During this programme period, the Observatory will monitor the development of general upper secondary school diplomas and participate in the discussion about it. The Observatory aims to strengthen the extensive use and development of general upper secondary school diplomas and the recognition of their significance in continuing education. The Observatory will contribute to ensuring that, in the future, cultural education plans will become a binding part of the curriculum, so that all Finnish children and young people would have access to arts and cultural content. The aim is to smooth out differences in the quality of cultural education plans and their implementation.

The Observatory encourages all wellbeing services counties in Finland to include the regional objectives and measures of cultural wellbeing in their strategic plans and steering documents. The aim of the plan is to make it possible for the residents of the wellbeing services counties and patients in care to engage in arts and cultural services, and to generate preventive wellbeing and high quality of life through arts and cultural education.

Methods and measures

The Finnish Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education promotes its objectives by:

compiling and sharing information on the practices, research and operating policies in the field of arts and cultural education in Finland
strengthening the link between the fields of research, and education and training
supporting cooperation between arts and cultural education players and the operating conditions of the field
promoting international cooperation in the field
influencing the resources and prerequisites of arts and cultural education research

Key measures for the programme period 2023–2027

Collecting and sharing information
Collection of research data on arts and cultural education and storing it in the lastenkulttuuri.fi portal will continue
Research data will be shared in seminars organised in collaboration with different operators
Research-based information packages and other material will be developed
National proposals for measures related to research in the field will be prepared and communicated about

Strengthening cooperation between research, education and stakeholders in the field

Mapping research needs observed in arts and cultural education and communicating about them
Developing the prerequisites for research in the field
Identifying and utilising the opportunities provided by existing activities from the perspective of research
Developing and embedding new operating practices and methods
Organising a national cooperation event at least once a year

Supporting the operating conditions of arts and cultural education

Preparing and publishing opinions and statements
Establishing and expanding channels of influence
Identifying and supporting the quality of Finnish arts education activities and system
Engaging in international discussion about the values of arts and cultural education and applying them
Influencing the content of the new UNESCO “Roadmap for Arts and Cultural Education” and implementing it through various channels in Finland
Compiling and disseminating arts education materials

Promoting international cooperation

Strengthening international long-term cooperation and networks
Maintaining international ENO connections and preparing cooperation and participation
Raising awareness of Finnish arts education at international events and publishing activities

Website: https://www.taideobservatorio.fi/en/home

email: observatorio@uniarts.fi

Partner Institutions

The Association of Children’s Culture in Finland is the second founder of ENO Finland. The association advances professional cultural centres for children and adolescents in Finland and promotes competence in the field of children’s culture as well as its visibility nationwide. As a network we work so that every child and young person has the opportunity to participate in high-quality artistic and cultural activities of their choice and to produce their own artistic content.

Contact:

Keskustori 4, 33100 Tampere, Finland

E-mail: aleksi.valta (at) lastenkulttuuri.fi

Website: http://www.lastenkulttuuri.fi

The Center for Educational Research and Academic Development in the Arts (CERADA) is one of the three focus area centres of Uniarts Helsinki. Its focus is on research into arts education and research-based development of higher education in the arts. The research carried out in CERADA therefore responds to the demands for development in arts education and higher education in the arts, as well as professional development for artists and arts teachers. CERADA’s vision is to be a well-connected, internationally acknowledged, high-quality research centre that impacts society in its own focus area.