Welcome to Bergen

The next annual session of the UBC Commission on Culture will be held on 27-28 November 2008 in Bergen. The main theme of the meeting will be "Art for Children - practice and theory". Reaching children and young people is a core competence for cities. The participants will be discussing the questions of the quality of the content, relations between art and children, communication skills of both children and artists. The meeting will be held at the same time as the Mini Midi Maxi children's theatre festival. The session's participants will meet a number of the artists from the festival, as well as see at least one performance. The festival will be also a basis for the discussion on the stage productions for children.

The session's programme contains a variety of presentations. Bergen's representatives will give an update on Norway's major school program "The Cultural Rucksack" for professional art and culture in schools aged 6 to 16. Bergen is implementing a program for pre-schools (Den kulturelle baremeisen).

The policies, methods, projects accompanied by the study visits will be an excellent occasion to exchange the opinions and experience on how to make children intrigued by the wonderful world of art, and how to inspire them to express and communicate through art.

Bergen is a historic port city rich in the arts and culture, with a range of nationally and internationally active artists and institutions. In 2000 Bergen was a successful European Capital of Culture. Full programme of the Session is available on www.ubc.net.