The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, is today (Saturday) addressing the Arts in Education Portal National Day at St. Patrick's Campus, Dublin City University. More than 250 professionals from across the arts in education sector are attending the event to discuss best practice in the field.
The Government’s Creative Ireland Programme aims to enable the creative potential of every child through a range of initiatives including the fast tracking of the Arts in Education Charter. The Arts in Education Portal (www.artsineducation.ie) was launched in May 2015 to serve as an online resource for arts in education practice in Ireland. Since then the Portal has had 25,224 users and 80,580 page views.
Speaking today Minister Humphreys said:
“We know that children who engage in the arts are happier and do better at school. Research carried out by the ESRI and published by the Arts Council shows that children who are involved in creative activity develop better academic skills and have fewer socio-emotional difficulties. In my view, encouraging greater participation in the arts among our school-going children is a no-brainer.
“The Arts in Education Charter has helped to drive greater collaboration between my Department and the Department of Education since it was signed in 2012. The portal, which is an online database, provides teachers and all of those interested in arts education with a vital resource of information on best practice in arts education right across Ireland.
“Today I am delighted to see so many professionals from across the arts and education sectors coming together to discuss new opportunities in this field. The first Pillar of the Creative Ireland Programme is ‘Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child’. One of the ways we will do this is by resourcing and fast tracking the Arts in Education Charter.
“We want to help build an environment where artists, teachers and students can be supported and inspired, for the betterment of society as a whole.”
Note to Editors:
The Arts in Education Portal National Day is organised by the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee, who oversee the content management of the Portal on an ongoing basis, in collaboration with the current editors, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership. The committee members are:
- Dr. Katie Sweeney (Chair), National Director for the Integration of the Arts in Education (DES)
- Helen O’Donoghue, Senior Curator: Engagement and Learning, Irish Museum of Modern Art, (Representing Encountering the Arts, Ireland)
- Deirdre Behan, Project Manager, Making Great Art Work, The Arts Council
- Dermot Carney, Arts Officer, National Association of Principals & Deputy Principals
- Patrick Coffey, National Coordinator, PDST Technology in Education/Scoilnet
- Emelie Fitzgibbon, Director, Graffiti Theatre Company (representing the Arts Council)
- Seán Gallagher, Deputy Director, PDST Technology in Education
- Phil Kingston, Community & Education Manager, The Abbey Theatre (Representing the Council of National Cultural Institutions)
- Caitríona Ní Chullota, Director, The Education Centre, Tralee (Representing the Association of Teachers/ Education Centres in Ireland)
- Lucina Russell, Arts Officer, Kildare County Council (Representing the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers)
- Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership (Portal Editors).
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership is currently the Editor of the Arts in Education Portal. Based in County Sligo, Kids’ Own is a national children’s arts organisation and publishing house.