Cultural education of children and teenagers and the challenges ahead of cultural institutions

Abstract

Development of talents and competence in the contemporary culture and aesthetic education of children and adolescents occupy a special place in the educational research of the twenty-first century. Recommendations for how to best shape these competence from early childhood have become a driving force behind the designing and implementation of various educational initiatives at schools and in non-formal educational settings. In the difficult time of the new pandemic (2020), activities aimed at developing social skills in young audiences have become particularly relevant. Even though, due to spreading restrictions, these were mostly transferred to the Internet, many cultural institutions have tried to re-establish and maintain effective relationship with their audiences. Recent years have shown how important it has become to build relationship and develop social skills in direct contact with culture, art and other people. In their research analyses, the authors of this paper have focused primarily on the programs of leisure activities addressed to children and adolescents. The research involved the analysis of the websites of selected cultural institutions (programs), educational websites (reviews) and community portals (comments), with a particular emphasis on the competition for the most development-enhancing initiative for children. Data were also obtained via interviews with program organizers. Analysis of cultural institutions’ programs show their involvement in the cultural education of children and youth. Non-formal education in cultural institutions is focused on the development of creativity and cultural and social competence.