Cultural events to help foster civic participation among students
Publicēts: 19.11.2025
In 2025, the Latvian National Centre for Culture (LNCC) began implementing the European Social Fund Plus project “Cultural Events as an Instrument for Promoting Civic Participation”. The project aims to develop students’ cultural awareness and expression competence, using cultural events as a resource to encourage active civic engagement and strengthen civil society. The initiative was inspired by the successful operation of the “Latvian School Bag” programme, which ensures children and young people have access to cultural experiences that are directly linked to the educational curriculum.
Research demonstrates that professional arts can serve as a powerful catalyst for shifting attitudes, fostering empathy, mutual understanding, reflection on values, and an awareness of one’s role within society (OECD “Learning Compass 2030”). Amid current global upheavals, our society increasingly faces challenges associated with low trust in democratic values and processes, a lacking sense of belonging to the local community and country, and insufficient youth involvement in public affairs.
Civic participation is often presented to children and young people as a duty and “the right thing to do” in an adult-managed world, rather than as a right.
However, human rights fundamentally stem from mutual respect and care for others – principles that begin in the school, the classroom, and on the playground. It is therefore vital to help children and young people understand the impact their actions and decisions have on society. Achieving this requires providing targeted, high-quality support to educators, developing their ability to integrate cultural events into the educational process meaningfully and systematically, whilst reinforcing students’ skills to reflect, debate, and act with civic responsibility.
Culture and education experts will evaluate cultural events within the “Latvian School Bag” offering to identify those with the highest potential to inspire civic participation. In autumn 2026, general education and vocational schools across Latvia will be invited to apply for the project. Selection will consider regional coverage, diverse school types and sizes, socio-economic backgrounds, and prior experience in cultural participation. This inclusive approach ensures representation across varied communities and student groups with differing needs and opportunities, including under-represented groups.
Participating schools will identify local issues within their communities that require active civic engagement, select relevant cultural events, and explore solutions for improvement. Drawing inspiration from these cultural experiences, school teams – in collaboration with NGO representatives and cultural professionals – will organise tailored activities within their schools or local communities. These activities will aim not only to address the identified issues but also to mitigate the risks of similar challenges arising in the future.
Throughout the project, teachers will benefit from professional development opportunities and test new knowledge in practice alongside their students. The insights and experience gained will be documented and included in methodological materials, serving as a practical resource for educators, cultural professionals, and NGO representatives across Latvia.
Over four years of collaborative work, at least 20 educational institutions across a minimum of 20 municipalities will receive long-term professional support, enhancing their capacity to use professional arts and cultural events to drive civic participation. To reinforce these new skills, participating schools will act as peer mentors to colleagues in at least 20 additional educational institutions. In total, the project is expected to involve at least 200 educators and over 5,000 students.
The funding awarded from the European Union funds for the 2021–2027 programming period (ESF+) provides a unique opportunity to deliver targeted, sustainable solutions. The project team embarks on this work committed to maximising this opportunity, delivering a tangible and lasting contribution to social cohesion, strengthening democracy, and ensuring equal access to culture across Latvia. It will firmly establish cultural events as a key tool for civic engagement and reinforce cross-sectoral cooperation between education and culture.
Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 287 of 13 May 2025
Project 4.2.3.3/1/25/I/002 “Cultural Events as an Instrument for Promoting Civic Participation” is co-financed by the European Union and runs from 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2029.
The total eligible cost of the project is €1,918,966, of which €1,631,121 is European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) funding and €287,845 is national budget co-financing.
