8.1 General context
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Main trends in young people's creativity and cultural participation
Cultural institutions and organisations at both the national and local levels as well as in all areas
of culture enable young people to access facilities where they can creatively spend their leisure
time, while offering them a number of cultural activities to join and actively participate in. By the
provision of state or local (municipal) financial support and/or through the volunteering of
creators (artists) and professional workers in cultural institutions and organisations, a number of
such activities are financially accessible.
A greater level of development (offering diverse and quality programmes and activities) of individual institutions, organisations and facilities primarily intended for young people is still characteristic only of larger urban centres, especially the capital. On the other hand, in the rest of Slovenia, local youth centres, as already emphasised, represent the only practical form of youth infrastructure in Slovenia, providing the majority of youth activities.
In Slovenia, 4.9% of all employed persons work in the the field of culture, whereas the average percentage of such employments in the EU is 3.7%. A similar difference between Slovenia and the EU average can be found in the 15–19 year age group. In Slovenia, 5,0% of all employed persons aged between 15–19 works in culture, whereas this percentage in the EU is 3.6% (see data).
Like many other countries, Slovenia also faces the problem of a lack of data on the creative and cultural industry. The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS [Statistični urad RS]) does not monitor the creative industries as a separate category, which makes them difficult to analyse in detail or to compare to international data, not to mention analysing trends and policies related to youth.
Main concepts
Those who are self-employed in culture (Samozaposleni v kulturi) are creators who engage in an independent specialised profession in the field of culture.The status is formally regulated through the Decree of self-employed professionals in culture (Uredba o samozaposlenih v kulturi). For many artists, this is a long-term form of employment status.
The amateur culture and its organisation is a unique phenomenon in Slovenia, comparing it to other European countries. About 110,000 people work in various cultural associations around the country, conducting around 25,000 events per year for 4 million visitors. Through amateur culture operate many (academic) choirs, folklore groups, musicals, theatre groups etc. Everything works on a voluntary basis or is project financed and is accessible to wide population. The main umrella organisation that connects many actors in all fields of amateur culture is the Public Fund of the Republic of Slovenia for Cultural Activities, through which many cultural projects are also co-financed.