As part of the Government’s #InThisTogether campaign, the Creative Ireland Programme and RTÉ will bring Cruinniú na nÓg online for 2020
Minister Madigan encourages young people to answer the call, to get creative at home and be ready to showcase their creative talents on Saturday 13th June
Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht today (5th May 2020) announced details of Cruinniú na nÓg 2020, Ireland’s national day of free creative activities for children and young people under the age of 18. Cruinniú na nÓg 2020 is a collaboration between the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Creative Ireland Programme, local authorities and RTÉ, and is part of the Government’s #InThisTogether campaign which is supporting everyone to stay connected, stay active and look after our physical and mental wellbeing.
Announcing Cruinniú na nÓg 2020, Minister Madigan said:
Creativity and culture are powerful means through which children and young people can explore communication and collaboration, stimulate their imaginations to be inventive and harness their innate curiosity. Creativity also helps to encourage social responsibility and personal qualities related to wellbeing such as resilience, empathy, and a capacity for connection and friendship. Over the past 2 years Cruinniú na nÓg has been a key point in the calendar for children and young people to try something creative, develop an appetite for discovery and acquire new skills – and 2020 will be no different.
In light of the public health restrictions currently in force, the Creative Ireland Programme and its partners have developed a number of creative, cultural and engaging “calls to action” which children, young people – indeed entire families – can create in their own homes and gardens on Saturday 13th June. Highlights will include:
· Céilí in the Kitchen – A collective call to action for children, young people and their families to create a Céilí in their kitchen for Cruinniú, with Áirc Damhsa, who will guide us through the Irish tradition of these communal social events that take place in houses.
· Let's Go Fly a Kite – A collective call to action for children, young people and their families to make and fly a kite for Cruinniú, in your county colours. On Saturday 13th June, in partnership with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, in your back yard or on your street, with your back to the wind slowly let your kite leave your hand and watch it majestically rise into the air.
· Become a Story Keeper – Fighting Words and Great Lighthouses of Ireland are inviting young writers between the ages of 7 and 12 years to become Story Keepers – to create a story inspired by lighthouses. Lighthouses are places of wonder that can provide safety and guidance on a journey through danger.
· Create a Video Game App – If you could click your fingers and create a video game app, what would it be? A racing game or a coin collector? A target game or a platform? The choice is endless and it’s time for you to decide. Let us know and together with Whizz Kids Training, via their ground-breaking Digital Skills Virtual Classroom, we will help bring young people into the world of software design in 4 easy tutorials.
Online supports and resources are being provided by the Creative Ireland Programme in partnership with Áirc Damhsa, The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, Great Lighthouses of Ireland, Fighting Words, Whizz Kids Training and RTÉ to enable children and young people to unleash their creativity. Everyone is invited to celebrate our culture and creativity and to start taking part online now, as we prepare for Cruinniú na nÓg on Saturday 13th June 2020. Further details and resources will be available from the Creative Ireland website and RTÉ platforms up to and including Saturday 13th June – see www.creativeireland.gov.ie and www.rte.ie. In addition, local authorities will also be hosting a range of cultural and creative activities and online events for Cruinniú na nÓg – full details will also be available at www.creativeireland.gov.ie.
Minister Madigan added:
Central to the vision underpinning the Creative Ireland Programme is the belief that participation in cultural and creative activity promotes the wellbeing of the individual, the community and the nation. Looking after our physical and mental wellbeing is more important now than ever, and this is why only recently An Taoiseach launched the #InThisTogether campaign from Healthy Ireland – an initiative in which my Department and the Creative Ireland Programme are playing our part.
Editors Note
The Creative Ireland Programme is a culture-based, all of Government initiative which places creativity at the centre of public policy, and is designed to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. The core proposition is that participation in cultural activity drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement. It is built around five pillars: Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child; Enabling Creativity in Every Community; Investing in our Creative and Cultural Infrastructure; Ireland as a Centre of Excellence in Media Production; Unifying our Global reputation. You can find out more here.
Cruinniú na nÓgis an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme and is one of the key actions of Creative Youth – a plan to enable the creative potential of every child and young person. Cruinniú na nÓg is supported by Local Authorities and RTÉ. The first Cruinniú na nÓg, featuring over 500 free creative activities, took place on Saturday 23rd June 2018. Last year, over 750 events were held nationwide, providing greater access to free creative activities for children the length and breadth of the country.
For Cruinniú na nÓg 2020, local authorities will continue to collaborate with local arts and creative groups and practitioners to bring Cruinniú na nÓg into homes nationwide, while the Creative Ireland Programme will support a range of activities and challenges – the results of which participants are encouraged to share online with Creative Ireland and RTE #CreativeIreland #InThisTogether.