Since 2013, Germany’s Culture is Strength - Education Alliances initiative has provided extra-curricular and cultural activities for 3-18 year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children and young people take part in activities such as theatre, music, art, and digital media and everyday culture. Through these activities, run by local education alliances, the programme aims to promote key competencies such as creativity, self-confidence and social skills, as well as participation in society. These alliances bring together local actors from the cultural, education, and youth sectors who offer different types of expertise and have good access to the target population group. Over 80% of those surveyed felt that their alliance had strengthened networking between different actors and that this alliance was well-integrated into community structures. Around 1 in 4 had not previously worked with the other partners, suggesting the alliances have led to new collaborations (Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2019[6]).
More than 1 million children and young people have taken part in projects funded by the initiative since the initial round of funding in 2013. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, while institutions like theatres, museums and libraries were closed, local adult education centres, schools and public places created alternative spaces. The concept of forming local alliances proved to be a considerable advantage in this situation and the initiative continued to support the resilience of disadvantaged children and young people while they needed it most (Kempmann, n.d.[7]).
Further reading: Federal Ministry for Education and Research of Germany (n.d.[8]), Kultur Macht Stark Trotzt Corona [“Culture is Strength” defies Corona], https://www.buendnisse-fuer-bildung.de/index.html (accessed on 1 April 2021).