About us
The German Federation for Arts Education and Cultural Learning (Bundesvereinigung Kulturelle Kinder- und Jugendbildung - BKJ) is the umbrella organisation for cultural education in Germany.
More than 50 nationwide specialist organisations and state associations have joined forces in the BKJ. With their offers of cultural education in the fields of visual arts, digital media, film, photography, literature, music, rhythm, play, dance, theatre and circus, they are committed to diversity, inclusion, voluntary work, international exchange and successful educational landscapes. The member organisations represent the various arts, cultural sectors and cultural education fields. They are the responsible bodys of municipal, state, national, and in some cases international institutions, projects, further education programmes and competitions. In the BKJ network, they exchange information with one another, pool their interests, optimise their offers and further develop their structures.
Expertise and networking
With our publications and specialist events we offer background knowledge on current topics in arts education and cultural lerarning. We create opportunities for professional exchange in a strong and lively network and contribute to qualification and quality assurance and to the transfer between practice and science.
We would be happy to provide you with contacts in our nationwide network of the various branches of Arts Education to suit your particular needs. Please feel free to contact us!
Advice and support
We advise specialists and teachers on technical and conceptual questions and on support programmes. You can also apply to us for funding for individual programmes, for example for international exchanges in the field of cultural education or for educational alliances at local level.
Representation of interests
We want a diverse and inclusive practice and a rich offer of cultural education - accessible to everyone, from the beginning and throughout life. That is why we are committed to improving framework conditions in youth, education and cultural policy and advise politicians and administrators at federal level.
As a recognised specialist partner of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Bundesministeriums für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend - BMFSFJ), we are funded by the Federal Government.
Mission Statement
The German Federation for Arts Education and Cultural Learning as the umbrella organisation for cultural education, has to contribute to this,
- that every child and every young person can find a rich and open access offer in all areas of arts and culture, can unfold joy of life and develop cultural competences
- that the infrastructures of the providers of Arts Education are secured at local, state, national and international level in order to strengthen the field of work and to ensure cultural participation, arts, education and integration through their concepts and strategies,
- that Arts Education is recognised as an indispensable public task in youth, cultural, educational and social policy and is promoted as an interdepartmental cross-cutting task by many policy fields,
- that the fields and providers of Arts Education find in the BKJ the professional, cooperation and policy forum that ensures the performance and innovative capacity of Arts Education.
Prevention and child welfare
We take responsibility for the well-being, protection and realisation of the rights of young people. We do this as actors in the arts education of children and young people, in our responsibility for a successful growing up on the basis of § 1 SGB VIII and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We condemn sexualised violence and all other violence against children and young people. We are actively and preventively committed to the protection of the welfare of the child. We are alert to any threat to the welfare of the child and take action with all means at our disposal against sexualised, physical and psychological violence, maltreatment, neglect against/of children and young people. Violence can originate from individuals and structures. We want children and young people to find a safe environment in the offers and practices of Arts Education, in which they are reliably protected from violence and all forms of border violations.
(Excerpt from the BKJ's mission statement on prevention and child welfare)
