The College of B and W propose a three-year subsidy for thirty thirty schools. The subsidy is intended to enable students to experience art and culture in Amsterdam and to encourage them to participate in after-school activities on the subject of art and culture. Culture coaches are mainly deployed at schools where children receive less art and culture from home.In addition, culture coaches contribute to the reduction of work pressure in schools. An amount of 1,460,000 euros per year for the coming three years has been used for the scheme.

Culture coaches are teaching artists that originated from various art disciplines. They give culture lessons at school, ensure connections with cultural institutions and organize organizing for students at cultural locations in the city. The task of culture coaches is to bring children into close contact with culture and actively guide them to cultural activities in their spare time. Cultural coaches create lasting relationships between schools and cultural partners. Culture coaches are deployed at schools with a high percentage of pupils at high risk of educational disadvantage.

Alderman Touria Meliani (Arts and Culture): “Everyone has a right to the beauty and imagination that art and culture can offer. There are still far too many students in Amsterdam who have very little or no contact with art and culture, while they have a lot to offer in the field of new experiences and talent development. We hope that through the efforts of the culture coaches, students will continue to develop an interest in art and culture.”

Alderman Marjolein Moorman (Under): “By deploying culture coaches, we want to increase the opportunities for children in the city, while making the rich offer of art and culture accessible to everyone. Schools are and see children become more enthusiastic through theater lessons and discover talents that they had previously thought of.”

The culture coaches can work in Amsterdam in primary education, secondary education and (secondary) special education. Cultural institutions that have structural partnerships with schools can apply for a subsidy from 15 November 2021 to deploy culture coaches in schools. The focus in secondary education is on the first two years of pre-vocational secondary education and practical education.

Since the summer of 2020, there has been a pilot into the effectiveness and employability of a culture coach. This pilot is being carried out by the municipality in collaboration with the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts and the past period. From the evaluation[1] shows that the deployment of culture coaches broadens the range of cultural education in the classroom and that new schools and pupils are reached. It has a positive effect on the workload in schools. Based on the positive evaluations, the Municipal Executive is now taking the decision to continue providing culture coaches for the city for the next three years. This scheme is made up of an annual contribution from the central government of 600,000 euros and by the municipality for an amount of 900,000 euros.

[1] Monitor and Evaluation Pilot Culture Coach 2020-2021