ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE is an international programme which
provides training and opportunities for artists to work
with children and young people at risk.
The programme was established in 1997 by the European Cultural
Foundation with two separate components: Play Against Violence
for the region of South-Eastern Europe and Art in Action
for the Baltic States and Poland. The Red House Centre for
Culture and Debate is the Bulgarian Resource Centre of the
programme.
The ten Resource Centres respectively from Bosnia &
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Macedonia,
Romania, Slovakia, Serbia & Montenegro and Poland have
established good partnesrhip among themselves and are looking
forward to common projects while continuing their activities
in the local communities.
Since 2000, a total of 11 Bulgarian teams realized 33 Art
for Social Change projects, involving over 600 children
from 17 institutions at 13 locations all over the country.
There are several basic principles underlying the ART FOR
SOCIAL CHANGE programme and providing the general guidelines
for its development. They are, as follows:
ART has social impact by enabling and encouraging creativity
while at the same time reaching different types of audiences
including socially disadvantaged groups.
THE ARTIST, through his/her specific artistic activity aimed
at developing of the individual, the group and the community
as a whole, as well as through developing their creativity,
is a unique agent of social and economic change. This role
of the artist should be acknowledged and supported by government
and institutions.
There should be a priority emphasis on COMMUNICATION, exchange
of expertise and collaboration between the non- governmental
organisations and the state institutions in the field of
arts and the social sector and an equal access of different
forms of culture to financial and other support
Sustainable systems should be created which stimulate the
creativity of all participants in the process of implementing
programmes for social INTEGRATION by the means of the art.
The dynamics of the process shall be sustained through a
free and fair exchange of experience and through an exploration
of the proper LANGUAGE OF THE "ENCOUNTER".
For more information and contacts:
Art for Social Change
The Red House Centre for Culture and Debate
15, Ljuben Karavelov Str., 1142 Sofia
tel. / fax (02) 988 81 88 / 980 49 24
nneykov@redhouse-sofia.org
www.aschange.org
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