YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

Creativity and culture  281 DANIJELA LAHE AND TINA CUPAR 8. CREATIVITY AND CULTURE Participation in cultural and arts activities is essential for young people as a basis for the development of their future personal, social, and cultur- al skills. In addition to providing opportunities to enjoy and foster crea- tivity, cultural participation can also offer opportunities to acquire com- petencies, help young people develop their thinking skills, and boost their self-esteem. It also improves the quality of their lives and boosts their overall well-being. Nowadays, information and communication technology also plays an important role in this process, as it is becoming an increasingly impor- tant instrument for participation in cultural life. The Internet enables young people to participate in cultural activities in ways that were once unimaginable, such as downloading and watching movies, watching live TV, videos and concerts, shopping for cultural goods and services, and other forms of cultural expression (e.g. blogging and writing e-jour- nals). Young people can thus also use the internet to enhance their crea- tivity and imagination, relax and spend their free time creatively. The importance of creativity and culture for young people is also high- lighted in the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 . Its objectives are primarily aimed at stimulating young people’s interest in cultural activ- ities and encouraging their active participation in cultural organizations (Council of the European Union, 2018). In the following subchapters we present data for all three key areas, namely young people’s interest in creativity and culture, the forms of their (live) cultural participation, and their online cultural participation.