Report and Press Release for the 10th Global Summit of the World Alliance for Arts, Education, Athens 2024, N.K.U.A.

The Department of Music Studies and the Department of Theatre Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, and in collaboration with the Department of Secondary Education of the Faculty of Philosophy (NKUA), the School of Physical Education and Sport Science (NKUA), the Department of Primary Education of the School of Education Sciences (NKUA), and the Modern Greek Language Teaching Center , successfully co-organized the 10th Global Summit of the World Alliance for Arts Education, October 17–19, 2024, titled: ARTS, NATURE, TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION: HARMONY IN UNITY.

The WAAE was founded under the auspices of UNESCO and consists of four leading international organizations representing all arts in education: the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA), the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA), the International Society for Music Education (ISME), and the World Dance Alliance (WDA). WAAE maintains close ties with UNESCO as they engage in dialogue on issues concerning arts in education. This Summit focused on the interconnection of arts, nature, technology, and education and how they can collectively, through tangible examples of research, artistic, and educational practice, create a transformative learning and teaching environment in various settings at all levels of education, in the community, in health -enhancing the overall human experience and the formation of intercultural practices and interventions.

The 10th Global Summit of the World Alliance for Arts Education, titled ARTS, NATURE, TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION: HARMONY IN UNITY, began on the morning of Thursday, October 17, at the Modern Greek Language Teaching Center with greetings from Professor Nikolaos Thomaidis , Deputy President of the Governing Council and President of the Asset Management Company of NKUA; from Professor Achilleas Chaldaiakis, member of the Governing Council; from Associate Professor Christos Karagiannis, Vice-Rector of Administrative Affairs, Student Welfare, and Lifelong Learning; from the Dean of the School of Education Sciences, Professor Vasilios Tsafos, whose greeting was delivered by Associate Professor Maria Dimaki-Zora of the Department of Primary Education; from Professor Anastasia Georgaki, President of the Department of Music Studies, NKUA; from Professor Dimitrios Foteinos, President of the Department of Secondary Education; from Professor Konstantinos Skordoulis, President of the Department of Primary Education, NKUA; from Professor Dimitris Karadimas, President of the Modern Greek Language Teaching Center; from Associate Professor Clio Fanouraki of the Department of Theatre Studies, NKUA, and President of the Scientific Committee; from Professor Smaragda Chrysostomou of the Department of Music Studies and President of the Organizing Committee; and from Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, President of WAAE. A greeting was also delivered by Professor Chronis Kynigos of the Department of Secondary Education and Director of the Educational Technology Laboratory that co-organized the event.

The Summit began successfully with the keynote speech by Cecily O’Neill titled “Makers of the Future,” by Professor Emerita from Ohio State University, and continued with parallel sessions on the four arts and their interdisciplinary connections with the thematic axis of the conference. During the first day, the focus was on themes related to arts in education through the lens of inclusion and social issues, as well as the teaching of music, dance, and visual arts with digital technologies. On the evening of October 17, the official opening ceremony of the conference took place in the Aula of the Faculty of Philosophy, where greetings were delivered by Deputy Minister of Education Ioanna Lytrivi, Rector of NKUA Professor Gerasimos Siasos, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy Professor Dimitrios Drosos, Dean of the School of Physical Education and Sport Science Professor Gerasimos Terzis, and the President of the Department of Theatre Studies Professor George Pefanis.

The opening ceremony featured performances by Stelios Psaroudakis, Associate Professor, with the theme “[Paean and Hyporchema] to the God Composed by an Athenian”; actors Dimitris Mikios, Anna Psarra, Eleni Psarra with the theme “Choruses from Aeschylus’ Oresteia”; Professor and Governing Council member Achilleas Chaldaiakis with the Maestros of the Psaltic Art on “Mega Ison”; actress Vicky Volioti, who presented an excerpt from Hortatsis’ “Erofili”; Professor Nikos Malliaras with the Academic Youth Choir of Athens, with a program based on the work of Yiannis Konstantinidis; actor Christos Christou; while the event concluded dynamically with a presentation from the School of Physical Education titled “When Friends Meet: Dancing in Greece,” under the artistic direction and teaching of Professor Maria Koutsouba and Laboratory Teaching Staff member Dr. Vasileios Karfis, focusing on traditional dances from the island of Kythnos with the participation of a large group of students and members of the School.

On Friday, October 18, the Summit focused on themes connecting arts in education with the environment, climate change issues, identity, sustainability, interculturality, as well as the connection with mental resilience and health in different structures and community settings.

The morning of Friday featured the keynote speech by Professor Rhoda Bernard from Berklee College of Music, titled “Accessible Arts in Education: Personal, Philosophical, Political, and Practical Perspectives of Arts in Education for Individuals with Disabilities.” In the afternoon, actor and director Vasilis Koukalani founder of the “Guild of Laughter,” represented the writer and founder of GRIPS Theatre in Berlin, Volker Ludwig, with the theme “The World is Full of Contradictions and Injustice: Theatre for Children in the 21st Century.” On Friday, meetings of the international organizations that comprise WAAE—ISME, IDEA, WDA, InSEA—were held as open forums for the arts of music, theatre, dance, and visual arts in education.

On the evening of the second day, the official conference dinner titled “Under the Acropolis” took place at the Old University of Athens in Plaka, where the Summit was honored by the presence of NKUA Rector Professor Gerasimos Siasos and Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation Professor Efstathios Efstathopoulos. Eleni Antoniou (voice) and Sotiris Letsios (guitar) provided musical accompaniment, while the evening concluded with dance under the full moon and melodies from different countries by the conference participants.

On Saturday, October 19, the Summit focused on public dialogue and documenting arguments for defending arts in education on a global scale, reinforced by the keynote speech of UNESCO representative Ke Leng, Programme Coordinator, Cultural Policies and Development Entity, Culture Sector, titled “Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Towards Effective Delivery of Culture and Arts Education.” The results from the discussions that emerged from the working groups will be included in the efforts to co-formulate the Athens Manifesto on the occasion of the 10th WAAE ATHENS SUMMIT. Additionally, Saturday’s proceedings emphasized themes related to mental resilience and health through the arts, arts for social intervention, the necessity of teacher training, and the exchange of best practices internationally, from preschool to adult education and lifelong learning. Specific themes, per art, unfolded subfields that concern the international community regarding the teaching of the arts and their multiple applications in the fields of education, health, community, businesses, etc.

The final day of the Summit ended with the call for the proceedings and the application of the results in daily practice.by Professor Smaragda Chrysostomou and Associate Professor Clio Fanouraki, who had the inspiration and the overall organization and supervision of the 10th Summit, for the first time in Greece, and from the four Presidents of the International Organizations: Sanja Krsmanović Tasić from the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA), Teresa Torres de Eça from the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA), Patricia Gonzalez Moreno from the International Society for Music Education (ISME), and Sarah Knox from the World Dance Alliance (WDA). Thanks and commendations followed from the audience and participants for the volunteers and students from all the collaborating Departments and Schools of NKUA, as well as acknowledgments to the collaborating bodies and individuals, without whom the implementation of the conference would not have been possible! Special mention was made of the main organizing and scientific committee of the conference and to Smaragda Chrysostomou, Clio Fanouraki, Angeliki Triantafyllaki, Ilia Lakidou, Elissavet Perakaki, who constituted the implementation council of the conference, members of both NKUA Departments that undertook the organization. Also presented were key contributors to the conference from the two collaborating Departments, Music and Theatre Studies: Vassilis Zakopoulos, Angeliki Konstantakopoulou, Despina Kosmopoulou, Georgios Lymperis, Yannis Mygdanis, Konstantinos Marougkas, for their contribution to the organization (https://conferences.uoa.gr/event/93/page/724-organizing-commitee), while particular reference was made to the members of the Scientific Committee (https://conferences.uoa.gr/event/93/page/725-scientific-commitee) and all supporters and participants.

The evening closed with a performance by Ronald Rand, “LET IT BE ART,” and a farewell reception for the conference participants.

Throughout the conference, performances and artistic events based on arts in education (art-based performances) were held, with dual research and artistic/social character—a significant event for research and practice in the field of arts in education that merged theory and practice and allowed the participants to discuss feasible ways of intervention through the arts in practice. Each day, researchers from different countries presented their posters in the main hall of proceedings, while they had the opportunity to converse at noon with the audience and participants.

Also, over the three days, artistic activities, performances, presentations, and exhibitions from institutions and bodies of all educational levels took place, and the conference participants had the joy of enjoying children, adolescents, and adults in multimodal creations inspired by music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. The Educational Technology Laboratory, directed by Professor Chronis Kynigos, presented a unique experience of technology, mathematics, and art based on their research activities throughout the conference. The conference was also honored by the presence of the former Dean of the School of Physical Education and Sport Science (NKUA), Professor Kostas Karteroliotis and the former Dean of the School of Philosophy (NKUA), Professor Gerasimos Zoras.

The 10th International Conference of the World Alliance for Arts Education, October 17–19, 2024, titled ARTS, NATURE, TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION: HARMONY IN UNITY, with the presence of participants and attendees from 33 countries and more than 55 Universities, International Cultural, Educational, and Interdisciplinary Organizations, has laid the foundation for the formation of the Athens Manifesto for Arts in Education by UNESCO and has opened bridges for practical collaboration of research and social bodies with the aim of more substantial integration of the arts in intercultural learning environments and daily life. The triad of art-technology-nature particularly engaged the research and artistic discussions and led to the development and presentation of significant interdisciplinary research and best practices, emphasizing the individual or the group and international experiences. All four arts discussed the harmonization of “selfhood” with identities, while fields of positive and humanistic studies actively conversed with music, theatre, dance, and visual arts. The implementation of the 10th Global Summit of the World Alliance for Arts Education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens constitutes a vital “bridge” of cultures, educators, researchers, and artists from the global map, with creative dissemination in international and domestic applications of the arts in society and education.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee,

WARM THANKS TO ALL SUPPORTERS AND PARTICIPANTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND MEMBERS FROM THE COLLABORATING BODIES:

Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, Sports, and Deputy Minister of Education Ioanna Lytrivi.
Governing Council and Rectorate Authorities of NKUA, with special thanks to Rector Gerasimos Siasos, Deputy President of the Governing Council, Professor Nikolaos Thomaidis, and Vice-Rectors Professors Christos Karagiannis and Efstathios Efstathopoulos, and Professor Achilleas Chaldaiakis, member of the Governing Council.
Asset Management Company of NKUA and its President Nikolaos Thomaidis.
Deanery of the Faculty of Philosophy, NKUA, and Dean Dimitrios Drosos.
Modern Greek Language Teaching Center, with the fruitful contribution of its President, Professor Dimitris Karadimas, and administrator Maria Chantzisalata.
Deans and Presidents of Collaborating Departments.
President of the Department of Music Studies Anastasia Georgaki and President of the Department of Theatre Studies George Pefanis.
Collaborating Departments and Schools: Department of Secondary Education of the Faculty of Philosophy (NKUA), with responsible Professor for the Conference Chronis Kynigos; School of Physical Education and Sport Science (NKUA), with responsible Professor for the Conference Maria Koutsouba; Department of Primary Education of the School of Education Sciences (NKUA), with responsible Professor for the Conference, Associate Professor Maria Dimaki-Zora.
Members of the Scientific Committee: https://conferences.uoa.gr/event/93/page/725-scientific-commitee
Members of the Organizing Committee: https://conferences.uoa.gr/event/93/page/724-organizing-commitee
Professor Nikos Malliaras and the New Educational Institutions G. Malliaras.
All students, pupils, parents, educators, artists, and creators who contributed with their presence and work to the artistic framing of the Conference: https://conferences.uoa.gr/event/93/page/733-performances
The Museum of Archaeology and History of Art of NKUA, at the School of Philosophy offered guided tours for participants in English through the museum’s spaces and exhibits, andprovided digital material for the needs of the Conference.
Collaborating bodies and supporters: Hellenic Association for Music Education, Ηellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr) in Education, Learn Inn NKUA, Panhellenic Scientific Association of Theatre Scholars: https://conferences.uoa.gr/event/93/page/741-supporters
Sponsors and Supporters: ZACHARIAS Wines, Kosmos Radiotaxi, Athens 9.84 Radio: https://conferences.uoa.gr/event/93/page/740-sponsors
Volunteers from all collaborating Departments.
MultiTaste Events & Catering, and Mr. Skotidas.
The company Polyphoniki.
The staff of the Modern Greek Language Teaching Center.
The custodial staff of the Faculty of Philosophy, NKUA.
Professor Katia Savrami from the Department of Theatre Studies of Patras for supporting Ronald Rand’s performance.
Thank you to all participants, speakers, audience members, and personnel for your invaluable presence.