Crown Princess Mary opens Copenhagen Cultural Children’s Summit

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is back from the USA and she has resumed her national agenda.

Crown Prince Frederik’s wife was in charge of opening the conference in connection with the “Copenhagen Cultural Children’s Summit” in Copenhagen.

This summit concerning children and the arts was held in Denmark for the first time on the 3rd and 4th of October. According to its official website, the organisers of the summit, the Danish association ’Barndrømmen’ and their British partner ’Children and the Arts UK’ “wish to focus the attention on how art and culture efficiently can help vulnerable children achieve a great success in their future lives”.

During the opening speech Crown Princess Mary focused on the importance that arts and culture can make on children’s lives:

“Arts and culture can open up a world of opportunities for a child. It can motivate and inspire in new ways. It can stimulate the brain and improve creativity as well as providing a more nuanced view of the world. It can be that crucial key to a group, where everyone feels accepted and valued. And it can raise a child’s self-esteem and give rise to a dream.”

Denmark’s future Queen also talked about the work Mary’s Foundation does with children as she explained how arts & culture can help provide a “sense of belonging” to lots of children:

 “In my foundation, The Mary Foundation, our aim is to prevent and eliminate social isolation based on the belief that everyone has the right to belong. One of our three target areas is Bullying & Wellbeing and it has become very clear to us, that being part of a positive children’s group with room for differences is crucial to the wellbeing of children. And when a child thrives, it leaves room for learning, Feeling secure and accepted is simply, fundamental to a child’s development. Access to activities within arts and culture can create exactly that; a sense of belonging and self-worth. A creative and artistic process together with other children can help a child’s development greatly and generate a self-belief that makes even reading and math easier. Reaching ones full potential is often closely linked to one’s own and other’s expectations.”

A fun fact: Children & the Arts was founded by the Prince of Wales in 2006 after visiting a school in Birmingham where pupils were getting to grips with Romeo & Juliet, but had never been to the theatre to see the play performed.

“Thousands of children leave school having never set foot in an art gallery, watched a performance in a theatre, or listened to an orchestra play.” –   Copenhagen Cultural Children’s Summit