More than 150 young leaders, educators and cultural advocates gathered in Almaty for UNESCO’s first World Youth Forum of UNESCO Clubs, proving that no idea is too bold to be introduced by a lanyard and then placed beneath fluorescent lighting for discussion.
The forum explored how culture and the arts can enrich education, promote global citizenship and help young people become change makers. It also considered UNESCO’s framework for culture and arts education, giving creativity the institutional treatment it has always feared: a programme title, several paragraphs and a chair reserved for someone important.
At the Bureau of International Enthusiasm, programme steward Crispin Easel welcomed the delegates. “Young people are the future,” he said. “Consequently, we have booked them into a room with eight microphones and one extension lead that knows its worth.” The extension lead declined to comment until its procurement process was complete.
UNESCO’s case for arts education was impressively expansive. Culture can support identity, critical thinking, resilience and social cohesion, while creative industries offer employment opportunities. The forum therefore attempted to hold two thoughts at once: creativity can transform society, and its immediate practical requirement is usually a marker pen that has not quietly entered retirement.
The gathering also looked ahead to Equation Nomads, an educational and cultural initiative planned for Addis Ababa in May. Its name sounded like a mathematics club, an airport lounge and a document that had survived four branding meetings. Delegates were invited to explore “creating together” and “living together”, before being separated into working groups by a laminated timetable.
Curator of Productive Nodding Elsie Varnish said the discussion had generated real momentum. “Instead of merely talking about creativity, we have written it on three sticky notes,” she said. “That is implementation with corners.” The notes were immediately assigned to a consultation process so nobody could act on them prematurely.
The larger argument was that culture should be central to education and public life, rather than the decorative activity scheduled after the important subjects. This was welcomed by everyone except the budget, which had been hoping culture would remain a pleasant word used in opening remarks before disappearing into a spreadsheet.
By the end, the flip chart had acquired the solemn atmosphere of a cultural landmark. Nobody knew whether the final marker still worked, but UNESCO had demonstrated that the future of education could be placed on one sheet of paper, surrounded by experts, and left beside the tea urn until a committee decided whether writing on it counted as progress.
Real story: UNESCO.
