As we close out the first quarter-century, as a global organization, we will remember the magnificent celebrations that marked ASSITEJ’s 60th anniversary around the world, the 50th birthday of TYA’s International Directors program, the 20th anniversary of 2005 UNESCO Convention and other significant milestones for ASSITEJ International such as the launch of the Regional Cooperation Programme and the expansion of our family with the addition of new National Centres worldwide.
As we close out the first quarter-century, as a global organisation dedicated to arts and culture, we know that global challenges are intensifying, threatening freedom of expression, human dignity, climate justice, and cultural diversity, and that this will require new strategies to carry out meaningful actions aligned with our founding principles.
As we close out the first quarter-century, as a global organisation dedicated to children and young people, we could not ignore the voices of Gen Z in Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nepal, and New Zealand, demanding to be heard—a generation that rejects political stagnation, alienation, and economic oppression, and that shares a common sense of vulnerability about the future.
As we embark on the next quarter-century, as a member of this global organisation, I am convinced that it is essential for each of us, in our own context, to commit to creating spaces—both real and symbolic—that allow young people to take their rightful place and feel fully engaged as citizens.
Spaces to reinvent and revitalise the concept of cultural democracy, which is so dear to many of us, where it can truly take shape, in order to support the emergence of new cultural practices and forms, developed in collaboration with and for young people.
As we embark on the next quarter-century, I wish you all good health, strength, creativity, and above all, the heart and the courage to embrace the necessary change to make this world a better place for our children to live.
From my half-century to you,
Carole
