Youth culture and leisure time
The main goal envisaged by the measure "Youth Culture and Leisure Time" is to improve overall activities of state administration bodies and public institutions which contribute to tackling cultural needs of young people, based on their scope and competences and improving their quality of lite in the Republic of Croatia. Cultural
needs of young people fall into two basic categories:
- culture of young people and for young people and ;
- creative expression of young people.
The following goals of the measure ensue from those two categories; to contribute to creating culturally aware young people, to their openness to creativity and their ability to actively participate in cultural development; to contribute to stronger capacities of civil society organizations active in the field of culture of young people and for young people and promote creative expression of young people; to encourage young people to organize themselves into cultural programmes and other forms of organised leisure time; to promote cooperation, networking and programme exchange of civil society organizations dealing with the culture of young people at local, national and international level; to ensure adequate premises for civil society organizations carrying out cultural programmes of young people and for young people and programmes which promote creative expression of young people; to promote education, production and public recognition of young artists in the country and abroad, and track and promote their development even after their educational period; to include young people in the decision-making process in culture. Said goal normatively ensues from the Constitutional provision on protection of youth and creation of social, educational, pedagogic, cultural, material and other conditions for long-lasting benefits for young people and their active, complete and responsible participation in the social community. This goal is formulated in the 2009-2013 National Youth Programme (prior to which the programme adopted in 2003 was in force). ln addition to the National Youth Programme, the Republic of Croatia adopted the 2006-2012 National Action Plan for the rights and interests of children, defining a special measure entitled Leisure time and Culture of Children with the following aims: make culture available to every child; develop and carry out activities of children and for children in leisure time; create room for the implementation of activities of children and for children in their leisure time; educate youth workers and publish manuals designed for youth workers dealing with children's activities in leisure time; promote development of creativity and affirmation of children participation in culture; establish duties and responsibilities of subjects responsible for the implementation of children's activities in free time; facilitate reception of services by sponsors and donors regarding organization of children's activities in leisure time; follow up the work and achievements of children in leisure time in the media.
The measure "Youth Culture and Leisure Time" is implemented through five special activities which the Ministry of Culture is responsible for and which are carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, the Ministry of the Family, Veterans' Affairs and lntergenerational Solidarity, civil society organizations and local and regional self-government units:
- Promotion of informal education of young people in the field of culture and art: The activity includes: setting up a fund for independent culture (working proposal "Kultura nova" /New Culture"/); defining priorities for financing projects of informal education of young people in non-institutional art and culture; financing projects and programmes of informal education of young people in non-institutional art and culture; financing nonprofit cultural youth programmes and programmes for youth conducted by civil society organizations; multi-annual institutional grants for youth associations working in the field of non-institutional culture and art.
- Ensuring resources for international cultural co-operation between civil society organizations in the field of youth culture and culture for youth especially with countries from the region and EU countries: The activity includes: inclusion of those promoting youth programmes and programmes for youth in particular in the criteria for allocation of funds for the field of international cultural co-operation; ensuring funds for membership and the work of organizations working in this field of culture in international networks; establishing criteria also within funds reserved for financing international cultural cooperation; ensuring funds to co-finance membership fees, registration fees, conference attendances and ether activities of international networks.
- Ensuring co-financing for the activities of existing youth clubs and stimulating establishment of new clubs: The activity includes: financing activities of youth clubs throughout the year; drafting recommendations for establishment and management of youth clubs and clubs for youth and their publication; continuous supervision and annual evaluation of youth club activities.
- Facilitating participation of young artists in national and international cultural projects as weil as in international cultural exchanges: The activity includes: defining criteria and priorities regarding financing of participation of young artists in national and international cultural projects; financing the participation of young artists in international competitions and events.
- lncluding representatives of youth associations active in culture. into activities of cultural councils (at national. regional and local level): The activity includes amendments to the Cultural Councils Act which would allow participation of representatives of youth associations and associations for youth working in culture in the activities of Cultural Councils.
The measure "Leisure Time and Culture of Children" is also implemented through special activities which the Ministry of Culture is responsible for, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, the Ministry of the Family, Veterans' Affairs and lntergenerational Solidarity, civil society organizations and local and regional selfgovernment units:
- Organizing numerous and quality cultural activities accessible to children, primarily new forms of activities in the three largest fields of culture; arts, music and drama art in the broadest sense;
- Encouraging children to socialize, broaden their knowledge, use creative expression and activities, active rest and entertainment;
- Ensuring premises for the implementation of programme activities for children during leisure time; developing work programmes for children in the area of leisure time, whichwill include types of activities, number of youth workers, selection criteria for youth workers and methods of further development and training;
- Developing and aligning programme activities adapted to interests and receptive capacities of children;
- Establishing a Commission for promotion, supervision and evaluation of activities of children during leisure time in arder to monitor and determine the effects, examine experiences and determine problems, and in arder to propose (to the Council for Children and to other competent bodies) new measures and activities with the aim of further developing this programme field. Cultural programmes for children and youth are included in the annual Cali for proposals for programmes for cultural needs in culture in the Republic of Croatia, announced by the Ministry of Culture. Received annual applications are reviewed by expert cultural councils for specifie cultural and artistic fields based on general and specifie programme evaluation criteria and are submitted for approval to the Minister of Culture.