Since the 1990’s, the art, culture and education sectors have been interested in the receptivity and awakening of the youngest children to live performances, and then questioned the need to devote a real repertoire to their sensibilities in order to enrich their imagination, stimulate their curiosity and accompany their opening to the world. Indeed, it is between 0 and 6 years old that the child is the most apt to awaken to art and to build his critical and analytical apparatus. However, the link between education, awakening and artistic practices is not always obvious for professionals of various sectors and is not often highlighted during the training stages intended for the professions of early childhood and education.
2019 is a strong year in this regard: The report “A national strategy for cultural health – Promote and perpetuate the cultural and artistic awakening of the child from birth to 3 years in the link with his parent” of the psychoanalyst Sophie Marinopoulos is a big step in the interministerial policy in favor of the artistic and cultural awakening of toddlers, implemented by Franck Riester. ACTA is part of this progress through reflections held since 1989 on the importance of artistic awakening from the earliest age.
It is in this context today that four structures are committed together to disseminate the observations and lessons learned from contemporary artistic practices for young children to professionals in the field of early childhood. After a first ERASMUS + 2017-2019 project for artists, it was time to respond to the strong demand from early childhood professionals noted in our cultural actions in the territory and during our European Biennial Premières Rencontres. It is a partnership approach with all the local educational actors (school management, social and cultural educators, teachers and pedagogical advisors, etc.) as well as a participatory approach including parents and children from the educational sectors concerned. These structures are Starcatchers – Scotland, LaSala – Spain, ACTA – France and 2TurvenHoog – Netherlands. They belong to the cultural sector and are active in the creation of live performances for young children.
They will work together, for two years, to set up regular mobilities of professionals of the national education and early childhood, with the contribution of the researcher Sylvie Rayna, with the aim of integrating the habit of the artistic practice into their teaching methods.
1st learning activity – Festival ElPetit and visits of childhood structures – Sabadell (Spain)
From 19th to 21st November 2021
For this first learning activity in physical mobility, the participants of the 4 structures met in Sabadell, on the outskirts of Barcelona in Spain, during the ElPetit early childhood festival organized by LaSala. The participants were able to attend the shows presented during these three days, as well as the conferences and debates of the festival. The mobility ended with a visit to District 3, where LaSala is located, including a nursery, a pre-school and the municipal library.
To learn more, here is an illustrated report of this mobility HERE
2nd learning activity – Festival Premières Rencontres and visits of childhood structures – Villiers-le-Bel (France)
From 16th to 18th March 2022
During this second learning activity in physical mobility, the participants from the 4 structures met in Villiers-le-Bel, the territorial base of the ACTA company, on the occasion of the Premières Rencontres early childhood festival. The participants were able to attend the shows presented during these three days, as well as the conferences and debates of the festival. We held a workshop to continue the reflections started during the first mobility in Sabadell on the different national systems around early childhood. Finally, we visited the Madeleine Vernet multi-accueil and the Georges Brassens media library in Mitry-Mory.
For more information, here is an illustrated report of this mobility HERE
3rd learning activity – Festival Imaginate and visits of childhood structures – Edinburgh (Scotland)
From 10th to 12th May 2022
During this third physical mobility learning activity, participants from all four organisations travelled to Edinburgh for the Imaginate Early Years Festival organised by our partner company, Starcatchers. The participants were able to attend the shows presented during the three days, aimed at various age groups. We carried out several workshops, this time focusing on the artistic and cultural awakening offers for young children in each country, with a focus on the Scottish tools institutionalised by their national guide/framework. We also met with the Starcatchers teams to understand and observe the implementation of their socio-cultural actions with local audiences. Finally, we visited several childcare facilities in their area, either for 0-3 year olds or for 3-5 year olds.
For more information, here is an illustrated report of this mobility HERE
4th learning activity – Organisation visits and workshops – Almere (Netherlands)
September 28-30, 2022
During this fourth in-person learning activity, the participants from the four countries went to Almere. Participants attended, as an introduction to the training, Emilie Weisse’s show Be Kind. We also visited several organisations part of the ecosystem that works for the young child’s artistic awakening ecosystem of the city, be it early years and artistic organisations, and were able to discuss with the various municipal key players. Finally, workshops were organized in the afternoons to discuss best practices for the young child’s artistic awakening in our different national contexts, in the light of our observations of the Dutch landscape.
To learn more, you can read an illustrated report of this mobility HERE
5th learning activity – Visits to structures and workshops – Mitry-Mory (France)
November 28-29, 2022
During this fifth in-person learning activity, the participants from the four partner countries were welcomed in Mitry-Mory. The participants visited several organisations that work for the young child’s artistic awakening in the Agglomeration Grouping “Roissy Pays de France”, both early years and cultural organisations, and were able to discuss with the different key players. Interventions by Laurent Dupont and Margotte Fricoteaux were also organized, in order to present ACTA’s latest community project “Lullabies”, and the important work that Margotte Fricoteaux has done to highlight this intangible heritage. Finally, workshops were organized in the afternoons to stimulate reflections, agreements and disagreements on the foundations necessary to foster the collaboration of different players for the young child’s artistic awakening.
To learn more, you can read an illustrated report of this mobility HERE
6th learning activity – Artistic workshops and debates – Sabadell (Spain)
January 26-27, 2023
During this sixth in-person learning activity, participants from all four organisations were hosted in Sabadell, Spain. The participants took part in several artistic workshops led by Helena Cabo (Mediation Officer at laSala), including one for families. Helena Cabo also presented laSala’s vision for cultural mediation and the creation of a network of players working towards the artistic awakening of young children at laSala. Finally, discussion-debate workshops were organised in the afternoons in order to stimulate reflections, agreements and disagreements on multiculturalism, practice among equals, and the expectations and needs of the various players involved in the implementation of artistic projects for very young children.
To learn more, you can read an illustrated report of this mobility HERE