Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Operates School Cultural Arts Education by Life Cycle

Operation of 'Kkumdarag Cultural Arts School' until November
Expansion of Youth and Middle-aged Participation Including Single-person Households and Job Seekers
Support for Guidebooks and Training to Strengthen On-site Expertise

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service announced on the 25th that the life-cycle-based arts education support project, '2024 Kkumdarak Arts School,' will be operated nationwide from the 4th week of June to November.

2023 Dream Darak Culture and Arts School 'Whee Project' site. [Photo by Korea Arts & Culture Education Service]

Now in its second year, 'Kkumdarak Arts School' was integrated and reorganized from 2023 from the cultural arts education program 'Kkumdarak Saturday Culture School,' which has been operated since 2012 for children, adolescents, and families, expanding the target participants to cover the entire life cycle.

This year, 'Kkumdarak Arts School' will be conducted for about 5,000 citizens. The life-cycle-based support ratio of the total 255 programs consists of 30% (77 programs) for children and adolescents, 44% (112 programs) for youth and middle-aged adults, 16% (41 programs) for the elderly, and 10% (25 programs) for all life stages.

In particular, considering the population proportion by life cycle, the program ratio for youth and middle-aged adults will be expanded by about 62% (43 programs) compared to the previous year.

A total of 168 organizations selected through a public contest will operate 255 cultural arts education programs nationwide. This year, in addition to genre-specific arts education, diverse programs have been prepared, including preferred programs for beneficiaries such as single-person households, job seekers, and returnees to farming and rural areas; communication programs for children and adolescents in old and new urban areas; programs utilizing cultural resources such as local history, spaces, and specialties; contemporary issues such as environment and social isolation; and artificial intelligence (AI) and digital literacy.

The Arts & Culture Education Service will actively support capacity building, including the production of program guidebooks and professional training, to strengthen the expertise of the Kkumdarak Arts School education field. The program guidebook contains rich content, including excellent cases from the existing Kkumdarak Saturday Culture School and Kkumdarak Arts School, as well as new business models, allowing field experts to link and utilize them during class processes.

Additionally, a training program for educators of Kkumdarak Arts School has been prepared within the 'Arte Academy,' a professional training program for cultural arts education personnel.

An official from the Arts & Culture Education Service said, "With the belief that all art begins with oneself, we hope that cultural arts education will enrich the daily lives of ourselves and those around us, and we ask for much interest and participation in the programs operated this year."

Details of the programs and how to apply for participation can be found in the announcements section on the Education Service’s website.