“Latvian School Bag”: An Internationally Recognized Example of Cultural Accessibility for Children and Young People 

On 19 September 2024, the Culture and Arts Education Programme “Latvian School Bag”  (“Latvijas skolas soma”) was featured as an example of good practice in cultural accessibility for children and young people at the international conference “Access is Success – Opportunities and Challenges of Accessing Culture in Contemporary Europe” in Budapest, Hungary. During the session dedicated to the link between culture and education, as well as the expert panel, Aija Tūna, Head of the “Latvian School Bag” programme, outlined the journey of the programme’s development and shared key insights gained along the way. 

Both Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, in her opening remarks, and Dr William Hammonds, Associate Director – Policy and Research at Ecorys, alongside Guillaume Schaeffer, Head of the European Affairs Office at the French Ministry of Culture, in their addresses, as well as other speakers, highlighted that structural changes are currently taking place across Europe regarding the understanding of culture, with a growing focus on its role in fostering participation and embedding democratic principles. 

Conference participants expressed the view that it is no longer sufficient for students to remain passive consumers of culture, as there is a clear link between active participation in cultural life and engagement in democratic processes. We can take pride in the fact that one of the core principles of the “Latvian School Bag” programme since its inception has been to encourage students to evaluate their experiences not only emotionally, but also through critical and creative thinking, ultimately inspiring a desire to get involved or create something of their own. 

“The fact that we have done significant work on accessibility is undeniable, as shown by the interest conference participants took in Latvia’s experience of systemic change. At the same time, it reinforced our conviction that we must keep building a shared understanding of culture’s role in shaping a civically active society. Our next step is to encourage students to choose cultural events and engage directly with artists, leading to their own creative involvement in cultural processes,” shared Aija Tūna, Head of the ‘Latvian School Bag’ programme, reflecting on the conference. 

Participating in the conference was not only international recognition of Latvia’s achievements, but also a valuable opportunity to hear insights from policymakers and researchers, meet like-minded peers, and learn about initiatives and programmes similar to the “Latvian School Bag” in Belgium, Croatia, and other European countries, outlining prospects for future cooperation. 

The conference “Access is Success – Opportunities and Challenges of Accessing Culture in Contemporary Europe” was organized as part of the programme of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

Further information about the conference: https://hungarian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/events/access-is-success-opportunities-and-challenges-of-accessing-culture-in-contemporary-europe/