The government is investing €200,000 in the Culture Pass Programme for 2020-2021 which is aimed at instigating creativity within children and adolescents through the appreciation of culture and heritage.

Culture Pass 2020-2021 is a joint initiative by Arts Council Malta, the Culture Directorate within the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Governments and the Ministry of Education and Employment that was inaugurated in 2016.

Over 86,000 students have attended the programme over the years.

According to the Art’s Council website, “under this initiative, every student from kinder to post-secondary education has the opportunity to experience a minimum of one artistic production a year produced by creative professionals and presented through a curated programme” as per the requirements of Arts Council Malta’s Strategy 2020.

Post-secondary students (within institutes which provide education up to MQF Level 4 in cultural and artistic experiences) are a new addition to this this programme, Director of the Arts Council Mary Ann Cauchi said as previous editions were limited to secondary education.

“This is being done with the aim of reaching a wider audience because we believe that our children and adolescents are the seed from which interest towards creativity and culture can bloom,” she said.

Culture Minster José Herrera shared Cauchi’s sentiment, saying that the ministry is prioritising the young who are the future of this country and its cultural sector. He added that while it was common practice to focus on classical teachings in the past, the ministry has changed its approach to go beyond this and prioritise other pillars such as the environment and creativity, culture and heritage.

“With this €200,000 investment we are encouraging people to come up with creative projects that are aimed at highlighting the importance of creativity within our educational institutions,” he said.

This year’s programme has also introduced the opportunity of making services accessible digitally, something that has been in the works for some time but made urgent due to the COVID-19 situation.

Minister for Education and Employment Owen Bonnici stated that this initiative will give students access to Malta’s culture in an artistic format which will enhance the practice of informal learning.

“Through this initiative, our young ones will begin to appreciate different forms of artistic expression which will lead to more creative potential amongst the students,” he said.

“Thanks to these cultural activities, we are helping our children and future generations to recognize that education is beyond the end-of-year exam paper but it is a journey we can enjoy together. It could also be that through such cultural activities, students will be able to explore their talents and artistic abilities in a manner that they pursue a similar career path.”

The programme offers projects that represent a variety of sectors, including dance, theatre, music, literature, film, heritage and virtual art.

The guidelines for applications can be found on the Arts Council website. Deadline for applications is 21 August 2020 at noon.