9000 euros for Äänekoski to support children's culture for Ukrainian children
Jyväskylä Children's Culture Network Kulttuuriaita's member community Äänekoski is involved in the Children's Culture for Ukrainian Refugees association of the Association of Children's Culture Centers. The activity is financed by the Finnish Cultural Fund, and the total amount of its granted funding is 400 euros. Äänekoski's share is 000 euros.
Ukrainian families who fled the war to Finland get the opportunity to do something creatively and release their feelings in a national activity coordinated by the Finnish Children's Cultural Centers Association, where weekly groups of children or families get to try different art forms. At the same time, there is an opportunity to create connections between Ukrainians and Finns. In Äänekoski, the activities are coordinated by the Äänekoski cultural organization in cooperation with the Äänekoski family center, the Ukraine working group and the reception center.
- I am really happy and grateful for the Ukrainians living in Äänekoski that we got this funding! Thanks to this funding, children fleeing the war will be able to deal with their feelings through art and at the same time get tools to integrate into a new community and a new language, says Heidi Kurtti, cultural producer of the city of Äänekoski.
At Äänekoski, the groups will be guided by Hannele Torniainen, an experienced art educator familiar with expressive art therapy techniques.
- The starting point is to listen to the group and make their own culture and thinking visible. The knowledge, skill and culture emerging from the group are the central starting point for the structure of the activity's content, Torniainen says.
In the workshops, you move flexibly between different creative methods, which arise from art education as well as the cultural heritage of the participants. The contents of the workshops are movement, music, visual arts, drama and, if possible, writing methods. The activity will start during October 2022, and will continue weekly until March 2023. The support of the Finnish Cultural Fund reaches refugee families all over Finland Thanks to the support of 400 euros from the Finnish Cultural Fund, the activity will reach refugee families all over Finland until the summer of 000. Children's culture centers organize free art groups in different parts of Finland, either in their own premises or where refugee families live, for example in reception centers. The operation can be carried out through the capital region to Joensuu and Ostrobothnia and from there through Central Finland to Kemijärvi and Rovaniemi.
- Art brings comfort and hope to Ukrainian refugees and a way to deal with emotions. As a network of children's cultural centers, we are extremely proud of this project, says Aleksi Valta, Executive Director of the Finnish Association of Children's Cultural Centers. The weekly gathering by the art offers a welcome respite from everyday life. Children can have fun with different art forms. The activities of the groups are modified according to the wishes and situation of the children and adults participating in them.
- The operation is different in every locality. Some of the families hope to work in a Ukrainian group, while others hope to create connections with Finns. Art is the common denominator in the groups, says Valta. The support makes it possible for Ukrainian families who have come to Finland to gather around art every week.
For more information:
Vs. cultural producer, Heidi Kurtti, 040 194 7982, heidi.kurtti@aanekoski.fi
News published 6.10.2022
