Parent-Friendly Culture

We have noticed many barriers in our society and culture that separate parents from non-parents, as if their paths should never cross. And cultural institutions’ programming often contributes to the separation. The Parent-Friendly approach offers a change: by connecting a group of people organised through a WhatsApp group, and offering a regular programme for adults that starts earlier and is accompanied by free babysitting.

The impulse comes from an artist and mother, Marika Smreková, and Studio ALTA.

“Before I became a mother, I had a rich cultural and social life. This changed significantly when my daughter Emilka was born. I realised that a big part of cultural programme is suddenly unavailable to me. I knew that motherhood would change my life, but I keep asking the question: What if our society and cultural institutions function in a way that does not single out parents of young children? What could we do together to achieve a change? What if cultural programming does not reduce parents’ interests to children’s performances?” Marika Smreková, artist

“We want to be a cultural centre that does not divide but unites. Our goal is for our programme to be open and understandable, and for people in different life situations to meet in our auditoriums. In other words, parents of young children with non-parents and, at the end, with children as well. People have their routines and habits, they don’t even think they could do things differently. We want to listen to the parents to understand their needs and learn about their wishes, and share time with them at Studio ALTA.” Petr Dlouhý, curator, Studio ALTA

The Parent-Friendly Culture is based on three principles:

1) It connects a group of people – artists, parents (mothers and fathers) and non-parents, united by their wish to participate in a more inclusive cultural offering. They are organised through a WhatsApp group. The purpose of the group is to share information and make new friends.

2) It makes performances inclusive, to all adult audiences by setting earlier show time and offering free babysitting by experienced kindergarten guides and lecturers who have been working with children for a long time.

3) It continues to draw attention to the invisible and underappreciated work of parents of young children and their exclusion from social life, to the barriers parents have to face. Our goal is to organise discussions and to appeal to other cultural institutions to make their programming accessible to parents as well.

Parent-Friendly approach was created under the broader umbrella of a European project ON MOBILISATION. It searches for ways in which artistic processes can bring together different groups of people and advocate for active change in society. It is based on people’s desire and need to respond to ongoing changes and a deepening isolation between diverse groups of people.
More information: https://onmobilisation.net

The ‘Parent-Friendly’ approach was developed as part of the wider European project ON MOBILISATION. This project explores ways in which artistic work can bring different groups of people together and advocate for active social change. It stems from a desire and a need to respond to ongoing changes and the deepening isolation between increasingly diverse sections of society. Further information: https://onmobilisation.net