Acquiring cultural and creative competences through education and training

Formal compulsory education

Separate subjects

In policy documents such as the Policy Note on Culture 2014-2019 (Beleidsnota Cultuur 2014-2019), Policy Note on Education 2014-2019 (Beleidsnota Onderwijs 2014-2019) , and the Action Plans ‘Education and Culture: together for more and better’ ('Cultuur en Onderwijs – Samen voor meer en beter’, 2016-2017, see section 8.3) and ‘Education and Culture: together for even more and better II’ (‘Onderwijs en Cultuur: samen voor nog meer en beter II’, 2018-2019, see section 8.3),  the importance of cultural education and the need to promote the artistic and creative abilities of young people was strongly emphasized. In the current Policy Notes on Culture (Beleidsnota Cultuur 2019-2024) and Education (Beleidsnota Onderwijs 2019-2024) cultural education is however less emphasized. 

Also, in the educational practice the status and provision of cultural education is less prominent. Cultural education is only a compulsory subject in the first two years of secondary education. In these first two years goals are defined for musical and arts education. In upper secondary education schools are not obliged to offer courses on culture or creativity. 

In Arts Secondary Education (kunst secundair onderwijs, before modernisation) and in the domain ‘Arts and Creation’ (Domein Kunst en Creatie, after modernisation; see also Eurydice for an overview of the educational streams in Flemish education; approximately 2% of the pupils are enrolled in this track/domain) art courses are compulsory. The type of art courses that are offered differ according to the specific discipline (and after modernisation also according to the finality, see 6.1) the pupil follows. Disciplines that are offered in arts education are e.g. architectural education, artistic education, audiovisual education, ballet, ….

In the other tracks (general, technical and vocational education) and domains (after modernization) art subjects are optional and it is up to individual schools whether they offer the subject and often also up to individual students whether they study the subject when offered. 

Integrated in other subjects

In upper secondary education cultural education is mainly integrated in other courses (see also –in Dutch- Onderwijsdoelen). For instance, dance education is integrated in sports, literature in the language courses, cultural heritage in history courses. 

In the discipline human sciences and in welfare sciences (both offered in higher education oriented education) more attention is paid to cultural education. Their curriculum entails some final goals on arts. 

For instance, in the third grade pupils of human science must know to analyze artistic expressions from different movements, periods and Western and non-Western societies to build an art historical frame of reference.

Cross-curricular theme (vakoverschrijdend thema)

From 1 September 2019, new educational objectives for secondary education were gradually introduced (for more information see onderwijsdoelen.be, in Dutch) . The new attainment targets are developed in function of 16 key competences. The 16^th key competency is cultural awareness and cultural expression. This 16th decree key competence shows a strong link with the European key competence 'Competences regarding cultural awareness and cultural expression'. Both encompass competencies related to cultural awareness and competencies related to cultural expression: "Competence in cultural awareness and cultural expression includes understanding and respect for how ideas and meaning are creatively expressed and communicated in different cultures and through a range of artistic and other cultural expressions. This competence involves working towards understanding, developing, and articulating one's own ideas and a sense of place and role in society in various ways and in various contexts."

The specific elements of cultural awareness and expression are expounded upon in building blocks. For cultural awareness, these include:

• Observing and conceptualizing expressions of art and culture;
• Interpreting expressions of art and culture with consideration for societal, historical, and geographical contexts;
• Experiencing and interpreting expressions of art and culture and expressing appreciation for them

The competence in cultural expression is encapsulated in one substantive building block focused on: 

• Using imagination in a targeted manner when creating artistic work. Participating in art and culture and knowing the access routes and opportunities for cultural self-development are important in this.

To ensure a holistic approach, these building blocks are integrated into cross-curricular final attainment targets. The same final objectives have been formulated for this key competency, regardless of degree or finality. Some examples for the final objectives related to cultural awareness and cultural expression are:

• The pupils recognize the importance of perceived artistic and cultural expressions for themselves and their own environment. 
• The pupils relate art and culture expressions to the context in which they occur. 
• The pupils use their own expressive experience to express their appreciation for art and cultural expressions. 
• The pupils engage in an artistic and creative process driven by imagination .

The full list of objectives can be found on onderwijsdoelen.be (in Dutch).

Art academies or part-time arts education (Deeltijds Kunstonderwijs)

Part-time art education (Deeltijds Kunstonderwijs or DKO) is education in leisure time aimed at both children, young people as well as adults. It allows students to get acquainted with art in all its expressions, to develop a critical approach towards art, and to practice certain forms of art themselves, individually or in group (e.g. in an orchestra, a dance group, or a theatre company). Part-time art education also prepares some young people for a professional artistic career in higher art education.

On 28 January 2018, The Flemish Parliament approved a Decree on part-time artistic education (Decreet Deeltijds Kunstonderwijs, published on 11/05/2018). The new policy was launched on 1 September 2018. 

Part-time art education offers four fields of study: 

• Dance
• Music 
• Visual and audiovisual arts 
• Word Art - Drama 

Participants in part-time art education enrol on a voluntary basis and pay a registration fee. Children can start from the age of 6 in 1 of these 4 domains or they can opt for a cross-domain initiation course, in which at least 2 domains are covered simultaneously. Each domain consists of different stages. When a student successfully completes a stage (s)he receives a final certificate which indicates the level (s)he reached.

The programs in part-time art education comprise an entire school year of maximum 40 weeks, which lasts from 1 September until 30 June. Some schools combine the weekly teaching periods of certain subjects into fortnightly or monthly classes.

Non-formal learning and  youth work

Non-formal arts and cultural education in Flanders is mainly the responsibility of the Culture and Youth policy fields of the Flemish Community (Department of Culture, Youth and Media). Four types of subsidies are relevant with concern to non-formal learning on creativity and culture, namely subsidies for cultural education associations, subsidies for experimental youth work, general national youth work organizations and youth houses.

1. Youth Work – associations for cultural education 

Youth work organizations can apply for subsidies as an association for cultural education (cultuureducatieve vereniging). To be subsidized as an association for cultural education, the organization must first meet a number of general conditions (see Article 17 of the  Decree of 20 January 2012 on the implementation of a renewed youth and child rights policy - Decreet houdende een vernieuwd jeugd- en kinderrechtenbeleid). 

To be recognized, the association must realize at least six times a year one of the following modules: 

• organizing a cultural educational activity offer for young people in leisure time;
• organizing a cultural educational activity offer for the youth outside of leisure time;
• training of cultural education counselors;
• guiding young people to an artistic product;
• guiding local cultural education initiatives for youth

When an association is recognized then 

• this recognition is valid for an indefinite period, provided that the association continues to act in concordance with the conditions for grant and recognition,
• receives a basic operating subsidy of 80 000 € per year;

The cultural education associations that receive an operating grant may also receive project grants for initiatives that

• stimulate the artistic creativity of children or young people
• (or) children or young people learn to understand the language of the arts.

Only projects that respond to developments or opportunities that could not be met when drafting the policy note and which have a special character for the association are eligible for subsidization.

In 2023 16 associations were recognized as cultural education associations and received operating subsidies (in total for 3.564.727 €. Only some of these organisations focus exclusively on children, the others focus (also) on young people:

• Bamm: Bamm’s general objective is 'active arts education': learning, over and through the arts through active forms of work. Bamm wants to bring children and young people into contact with theater, music, dance, visual arts and audiovisual arts through their own expressive activity. In addition, Bamm offers contemporary arts education at existing art exhibitions. 
• Casa Blanca: Casa Blanca is an association that aims at developing, executing and supervising art projects for children and young people. They offer activities in a leisure context as well as in school, their activities include e.g. cultural educational programs and workshops.
• Compagnie Mila: Compagnie MiLa gives children the opportunity to develop their talents in theater, musical, dance, film, circus, song and spectacle during culture-educational camps.
• Danskant: Danskant uses dance, music and movement as an educational and active cultural experience with the aim of promoting personality development, social integration and participation among children and young people.
• Das Kunst: Das Kunst wants to stimulate active art experience from a playful angle. Through musical projects and multi-day camps for schools and youth services, children and young people have the opportunity to actively and creatively participate in the activities and come into contact with the various musical domains. Das Kunst aims at children and adolescents aged 6 to 18, in school and leisure time, and to their supervisors.
• Youth and Dance (Jeugd en Dans): Jeugd en Dans propagates amateur dance in all its diversity, by organizing and supervising youth work activities, and providing information and documentation.
• Youth Theater Ondersteboven (Jeugdtheater Ondersteboven, JTO): Youth Theater Ondersteboven is a youth theater company in Waasland. JTO is mainly a home for short workshops, longer courses, courses and vacations. In addition to training, JTO also produces theater and musical productions for children and young people.
• Kamo (became Amadeo Kollectif): Through active arts education Kamo wants to develop the personal, creative, social and communication skills of children from 2,5 to 12 years. 
• Larf!: Larf! is an arts education association that represents a youth theater where theater projects are made with children and young people. Children and young people can discover and experience the game of theater in an open house. By means of workshops and performances, Larf! reconciles theater and education.
• Musical On Stage: Musical On Stage's main objectives include practicing theater arts and musicals, contributing to general cultural expansion, organizing educational projects and internships, composing music, organizing cultural excursions and organizing workshops and training. 
• Muzische Workshops: Muzische Workshops stimulates art and cultural education by organizing activities in which experiencing, experimenting and creating are central.
• Passerelle: Passerelle wants children and young people to discover the world of contemporary dance. They bring young amateurs in dialogue with young choreographers and artists from other disciplines. This way, they bridge the world of professional dance with that of the amateur.
• Piazza dell’Arte: Piazza dell’Arte was a mobile multidisciplinary educational art organization, which gives every youngster the opportunity to develop creatively by means of different multimedia techniques.. Piazza dell'Arte now forms Man OverBoord together with the former cultural educational organization NEST. This new organisation combines the activities of Piazza dell’Arte and Nest. Man OverBoord (MOB) is a dynamic art platform for young people and artists. They use art as a powerful tool to change the world. MOB visits youth and cultural Centres, museums, secondary schools and colleges. Besides they also organize theatre and film workshops, labs and create their own MOB productions (cooperation between young people and artists) in the MOB working places in Antwerp, Brussels and Limburg.
• Spelenderwijs: Spelenderwijs specializes in educational projects and workshops on science and cultural education. They also bring theater performances and science shows.
• Trill (previous Artforum and Urban Words): Trill gives children, young people and young artists the opportunity to participate actively and/or receptively in professionally framed arts and culture activities and projects. These activities and projects are located within the broad field of creativity, cultural education, social-artistic and/or artistic work .
• Villa Basta: Villa Basta wants to discover and stimulate creative enjoyment in all young people from 6 to 30 years to develop it into creative talent. Through workshops and projects on site, children and young people are stimulated. This growth is realized by means of several workshops and studios. 

2. Experimental projects (Experimentele projecten)

Since 1 January 2013, the Flemish government (based on the  Decree of 20 January 2012 on the implementation of a renewed youth and child rights policy - Decreet houdende een vernieuwd jeugd- en kinderrechtenbeleid) grants subsidies to associations that set up an experimental project in the following areas:

• Youth work
• Information to or about youth and youth participation
• Cultural education

Experimental projects focus on new developments and needs that live in the youth sector and more generally in youth. They are innovative in terms of methodology or content, for example startups of youth work through new methods or attracting new audiences. Several focus on the development of culture and creativity competences or use creative methods.

In 2024, 21 experimental projects were subsidized. Most of these projects focus on children and young people with disabilities or living in a vulnerable situation (see 8.9 for some examples that focus on the development of cultural competences and the social inclusion of young people in vulnerable situations).

3. National Youth Work (Landelijk Georganiseerde Jeugdverenigingen)

Also within subsidized national youth work, some organizations focus on cultural participation, some examples (other examples can be found in 8.7):

• Creafant: Creafant is an association that lets children have fun in a creative way. The association actively works from children's imaginations and brings them into contact with various themes through workshops, camps and theatre.
• Graffiti Youth Service (Graffiti Jeugddienst) wants to offer children and young people (6-30 years) the necessary space and resources to experiment in a creative way with various (alternative) forms of communication because communication is a basic condition for active, conscious and critical participation in society.
• Youth, Culture and Science (Jeugd, Cultuur en Wetenschap) wants to involve young people in cultural and scientific activities and stimulate interest in culture and science among young people aged 8 to 25 by offering them pleasant leisure activities.
• Young Heroes (Jonge Helden):Jonge Helden aims to promote game and play to children and youth in a framework of creativity and with attention to participation, environment and community life. To this end, CREFI organizes vacations and courses, youth hosts are supported, and play-offs have been worked out.

• King Kevin (Koning Kevin):Koning Kevin aims to stimulate and develop a playful, creative and artistic attitude. Therefore Koning Kevin programs a range of initiatives in which dance, drama, music, image, media, game, but also creative thinking, figurative theatre, cooking, writing are addressed.

   

  4. Youth houses (jeugdhuizen)

Youth houses are open and low-threshold meeting places for young people, which can be found in almost every Flemish municipality. Youth houses are considered to be places where impulses are given for diversity, youth culture, attention to vulnerable groups, sense of creativity and enterprise.

On 19 June 2013, the Flemish Parliament asked the Flemish Government to recognize youth houses as ‘anchor points’ for young people in local communities and to consider them as partners, especially in domains that are also part of the Flemish youth policy plan: diversity, youth culture, broad schools, vulnerable groups and sense of creativity and enterprise (see: Resolution on Flemish policy regarding youth houses – Resolutie betreffende het Vlaamse beleid ten aanzien van jeugdhuizen).

With the subsidies for supra-local projects of youth houses, the Flemish government wants to respond to changes that occur in the youth house sector and give impetus for creativity and innovation.

Once every four years, the Flemish Government can grant operating subsidies to professionalized youth houses if they respond to the priorities of the Flemish youth and children's rights policy. Stimulating artistic expression is one of the three priorities.

Specialised training for professionals in the education, culture and youth fields

Training for teachers in formal education

Since the academic year 2019-2020, pre-service teacher training programmes have been set up exclusively by higher education institutions (see also Eurydice). Since September 2019, there are six types/types of teacher training programmes in Flanders with, in addition, the specific teacher training programme being temporarily phased out. Each teacher training programme has its own finality and is aimed at a specific group of prospective teachers:  

• Educational graduate programme (non-university higher education first degree qualification) for secondary education (for VET subjects only) 
• Educational bachelor's programme for pre-school education 
• Educational bachelor's programme for primary education 
• Educational bachelor's programme for (lower) secondary education 
• Educational master's programme for (higher) secondary education 
• Educational master's programme for art subjects

Besides, the Cultural Days organized by CANON Cultuurcel annually reach 2000 students in primary and secondary teacher training programs. Through workshops, courses, performances, and lectures, students explore cultural elements, gaining insights into the importance of effective cultural education. These events offer inspiration and tools to enhance cultural awareness, cultural expression, and creativity in future educators, preparing them for their roles in elementary and secondary education. Workshops cover various subjects, providing a platform for self-exploration and incorporating diverse art forms.

There are also different organizations (non-profit organizations, university colleges, universities, etc.) that offer in-service training projects. These are recorded (purely for information reasons, with no evaluation purpose) in an in-service training database (nascholingsdatabase) on the Klascement-website that can be consulted online. And also on the Cultuurkuur site, professionals in education, culture and youth work can find some trainings and workshops on teaching methodologies for cultural education.

A special form of in-service training is Kunstkuur (in Dutch). Kunstkuur stimulates and finances collaboration between a primary, secondary or higher education school and a nearby arts academy. For a period of three school years, arts teachers of the arts academies share the classroom with teachers from a school or higher education institution. This way teachers of arts academies bring artistic expertise into the classroom and art teachers become more skilled in dealing with diverse class groups and refine their didactic actions. Also third cultural education partners can be involved. Support is given in the form of extra hours for the arts academy and operating resources. 

Training for professionals in non-formal education

In 2012, the Department of Culture, Youth and Media (Departement Cultuur, Jeugd en Media) and the Department of Education and Training (Departement Onderwijs en Vorming) made a description of the occupation cluster 'cultural educator' and developed a competency profile for facilitators for artistic practitioners. The described competencies are intended as an in-depth guide to education, training and recognition of acquired competencies (EVC).

At PXL Hasselt University of Applied Sciences one can follow a postgraduate cultural educator. The postgraduate degree is aimed at bachelors in teacher training, tourism, arts, etc. or at bachelors or masters in art and culture. The postgraduate degree (one year) aims at expanding the cultural competencies of bachelors or young public employees in cultural organizations. The training consists of four modules: orientation in culture, culture and education, culture and communication, culture and product development. Theory is combined with practical experience. The training is developed in collaboration with cultural organizations.

Several of the organizations mentioned in 8.5.1. offer also management training and animator courses, e.g. Mooss, Jonge Helden, … . 

Annually, CANON Cultuurcel and the Department of Culture, Youth and Media organize the Day of Cultural Education. In this even in-depth ideas and innovative practices in cultural education are shown and lectures and workshops are held to provide inspiration for the development of a shared vision on cultural education.

Providing quality access to creative environments

There is a great diversity of cultural and youth infrastructure in Flemish cities and municipalities. This infrastructure is managed by several actors.

Cultural and youth infrastructure can be owned by private legal entities (including non-profit organizations), municipal authorities or the Flemish government.

The infrastructure of the cities, the municipality and the private legal entities falls under the competence of the local authorities. The Flemish government is competent for the Flemish Community's own cultural and youth accommodation. 

The Flemish government provides investment subsidies for large (urban) and sectoral accommodations in the youth and culture sectors. The Cultural Infrastructure Fund (Fonds Culturele Infrastructuur) is responsible for managing its own cultural infrastructure and granting investment subsidies for culture and youth infrastructure. 

As mentioned in the section ‘Acquiring cultural and creative competences through education and training’ youth houses are open and low-threshold meeting places for young people, which can be found in almost every Flemish municipality. They are considered to be places where impulses are given for diversity, youth culture, attention to vulnerable groups, sense of creativity and enterprise.