New technologies in support of creativity and innovation

There exists no specific funding for fostering the creative use of new technologies, but some of the subsidized youth organisations focus on the creative use of new technologies, for instance:

• Graffiti youth service wants to provide children and adolescents (6-30 years) the space and resources to experiment creatively with various (alternative) forms of communication (paint, drawing, fashion, theatre, film, photo, music and text).
• Youth, Culture and Science (Jeugd, Cultuur en Wetenschap) wants to involve young people in cultural and scientific activities and to stimulate interest in culture and science among young people aged 8 to 25.

Facilitating access to culture through new technologies

On December 23, 2022, the Flemish Government approved the vision note 'Towards a powerful cultural sector in digital times' (in Dutch). The memorandum provides a framework to stimulate and accelerate the digital transformation of the cultural sector. The vision note sets out the strategic lines within which the digital core players - meemoo, publiq and Cultuurconnect- position themselves with a view to the further digitalization of the cultural sector. The starting point is the digital transformation of the cultural ecosystem, albeit with an open view of the interfaces with youth, media, sports, education and local governance. Based on this vision statement the Digital Transformation program (Programma Digitaal Transformeren) was launched to stimulate the digital transformation of the cultural sector. Currently, the program comprises nine projects.

Cultuurconnect is an organization of the Flemish government with the mission to support and guide the local cultural policy and its institutions in focusing and achieving their goals in the digital society. More specific, it supports municipalities in the digital challenges of their cultural policy, with an emphasis on public libraries, culture and community Centres and attention to cross-sectoral connections. The organization takes strategically-based initiatives with regard to the development and exploitation of digital services. 

In 2017, Cultuurconnect organized for instance, sessions on digital culture education, focusing on digital tools (e.g. the use of Augmented Reality (AR), e-books made by pupils, virtual reality, …). In 2019 Cultuurconnect developed an inspiration guide (inspiratiegids) with examples of youth work that can inspire cultural Centres to set up their own youth activities. Working with new technologies and digital content are important aspects in these examples.

Also in Flanders, online sources and technologies are becoming an increasingly prominent place as a means of communicating and participating in art and culture. Information on cultural opportunities are disseminated online by e.g.:

• apps, e.g.
  • UiTX-app (with this app, young people get access to all UiTX and EYCA discounts and have always an overview of activities and events in the neigbourhood, see also 8.4), 
  • Erfgoedapp (an app for news on cultural heritage, information on cultural heritage in the neighbourhood, and extra information at exhibitions), 
• online-databases, e.g. the UiT-database (UiTinVlaanderen). Since 2020, one can find in the UiT database also cultural activities that take place online

Besides online information persons can also visit online catalogi and collections of exhibitions and musea in Flanders. 

Especially since the Covid-19 pandemic initiatives regarding digital cultural are booming. One of the (temporary) examples was Podium 19. Podium 19 is a pop-up arts channel that is created, programmed and curated by seven Flemish Art Institutions (Ancienne Belgique, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Brugge, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, deSingel and Arts Centre Voo?uit). It can be seen as a joint, virtual stage, where (new) productions were performed from January 21, 2021 to the end of April 2021.