Mission
What is ASSITEJ International?
Founded in 1965, ASSITEJ International is a network of artists and organisations in over 75 countries dedicated to the belief that every child and young person deserves access to the arts, and especially to live performance, from the earliest possible age.
ASSITEJ International unites theatres, organisations, and individuals throughout the world who make Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People. ASSITEJ International is dedicated to the artistic, cultural, and educational rights of children and young people across the globe. It advocates on behalf of all children regardless of nationality, cultural identity, ethnicity, or religion. ASSITEJ International brings people together to share knowledge and practice within the field of Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People in order to deepen understandings, develop practice, create new opportunities, and strengthen the global sector, on behalf of all children everywhere. The members of ASSITEJ International are ASSITEJ National Centres, Professional Networks, and Affiliates.
• ASSITEJ International is the global association for Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People;
• ASSITEJ International’s membership spans over 75 countries around the world;
• ASSITEJ International unites professionals making Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People;
• ASSITEJ International creates spaces for an international exchange of ideas and practice;
• ASSITEJ International advocates for the rights of children to experience Theatre & Performing Arts which is made especially for them;
• ASSITEJ International’s members include ASSITEJ National Centres, Professional Networks, and Affiliates.
What is Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People?
ASSITEJ International considers Theatre & Performing Arts to be a broad and diverse field that includes, but is not limited to, the art forms of: circus, clowning, dance, drama, mime, opera, performance / live art, puppetry, spoken word, storytelling, theatre, and visual mediums.
ASSITEJ International considers Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People (TYA) to be a broad and diverse field that includes, but is not limited to, the creation and delivery of the aforementioned art forms to children and young people through the varied and intersecting formats of:
• Applied Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People;
• Theatre & Performing Arts Education for Children & Young People;
• Theatre & Performing Arts in Education for Children & Young People;
• Theatre & Performing Arts Performed for, by, and with Children & Young People;
• Youth Theatre & Performing Arts Programmes.
What does ASSITEJ International do?
ASSITEJ International carries out numerous programmes and activities dedicated to developing, strengthening, and promoting the Theatre & Performing Arts for Young Audiences sector. This includes:
As the COVID-19 crisis was raging, hundreds of theatre and performing arts professionals worldwide collaborated through the Coffee Sessions run by ASSITEJ International. They shared their realities, expressed their points of view, and shared the emergencies they faced. The ASSITEJ Manifesto is the fruit of all this work. We wish the ASSITEJ Manifesto to be a tool and, through a coordinated international campaign, a mighty lever for recognition and support for the arts addressed to children, young people, and those who produce it. We encourage you to circulate the ASSITEJ Manifesto, share and explain it to the public, circulate it through social media, and confront cultural decision-makers with its content.
More than ever, taking action favouring equal and equitable access to arts and culture is an indispensable requirement as we want our children to live in a sustainable and healthy world.
You may read the Manifesto in English, Estonian, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, or Turkish by clicking here.
