Abstract
This article discusses how non‐formal arts education attenuates socioeconomic and cultural barriers in a vulnerable context. Although cultural capital has usually been conceived as dependent on high socioeconomic status, we explore the inclusiveness of a project of non‐formal education and how it enhances the capacity of youth to achieve empowerment and self‐confidence through the arts. We analyse the case study of a non‐formal arts educational organisation located in a deprived neighbourhood of Barcelona (Spain) and identify several key factors associated with successful social inclusion and its limitations. We find that the pedagogical processes involved create both learning opportunities and social and interpersonal skills useful for the present and future lives of the young participants. Methodologically, the case study combines non‐participant observation of the different activities of the organisation and semi‐structured qualitative interviews with young people and educators. The article concludes with some recommendations for considering artistic non‐formal education as a tool in any social inclusion agenda.
Highlights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 states that everyone has the right to freely par‐ ticipate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts, and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits
We present the empirical evidence pro‐ duced by our research on how the Center for Music and Performing Arts (CMPA) is an example of youth empowerment through cultural participation
Classrooms are always open for the young people who wish to attend and they do not get into trouble if they go in after “lessons” have begun
Summary
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 (art. 27) states that everyone has the right to freely par‐ ticipate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts, and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. 27) states that everyone has the right to freely par‐ ticipate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts, and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. This statement already highlights that cultural participation and equal access to culture entails bene‐ fits and well‐being for individuals. Social Inclusion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 2, Pages X–X tural distance and the influence of habitus explained by Bourdieu’s theory (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990; Willekens & Lievens, 2014) This means that cultural capital is a cause of inequality among young people, as a conse‐ quence of the reproduction of social inequalities. The question that we discuss here is how cultural participation employing an inclusive strategy through non‐formal education can subvert this role of reproduction and turn it into an opportunity for empow‐ ering young people in a vulnerable context
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