Dear Colleagues
Welcome to the WAAE Asia-Pacific Alliance for Arts Education (AP AAE) Online Summit, hosted by the WAAE website and organized by the University of South Australia, 14-22 December 2009, under the theme:

 

“Arts Education: Perspectives on cultural policy, creativity and diversity in the Asia-Pacific region”

 

Organising an Asia-Pacific face-to-face regional summit provides an enormous resource challenge and WAAE members decided that an online forum would facilitate the realisation of the following guiding aims, objectives and outcome:  
Guiding aims:

1)      To bring together leading arts educators from the Asia-Pacific region in an online forum and;
2)      To develop WAAE’s contribution from the Asia-Pacific region towards a Joint Declaration for the second UNESCO World Conference of Arts Education in 2010 through its commitment to the development of human creativity, creative industries and a paradigm of education for the 21st century based on cooperation, human rights and sustainable development.
Objectives:

1)      to share public policies from the Asia-Pacific region that include arts education and recognise cultural diversity;
2)      to articulate thinking about arts, pedagogy and creativity in the Asia-Pacific region;
3)      to encourage dialogue and feedback on matters arising from the UNESCO Road Map and Road Map Questionnaire (both attached);
4)      to encourage feedback on the Advocacy, Networking and Research reports from the recent WAAE world summit (Newcastle, England). PLEASE NOTE THESE WILL BE ADDED SHORTLY
Outcome:

The online summit will conclude with a summary recommendations paper which will be integrated into the WAAE’s final preparations for the UNESCO World Conference of Arts Education in 2010.
The Asia-Pacific Alliance for Arts Education online regional summit is open to members of arts education organizations, associations and networks in the areas of Dance, Design and Craft, Drama/Theatre, Literature, New Media, Music, Visual Arts, including regional and national alliances for arts education who agree with the principles embedded in the 2006 Joint Declaration, aims and structure of the WAAE.
Please visit the WAAE website to become familiar with the work of the WAAE including the guiding aims and specific objectives of the 2009 Summit, recently held in Newcastle, England:
Worldallianceforartseducation.org <http://www.worldallianceforartseducation.org/>
You will find links to the WAAE member organisations: IDEA, InSEA, ISME and WDA.  
The WAAE is seeking clarification from UNESCO about how the WAAE will meaningfully contribute to the procedures for selecting keynotes, debate moderators and observers to the 2010 UNESCO conference. The WAAE has successfully appealed for a Call for Papers and a coordinated transparent process of consultation and selection to avoid tensions within regions and arts education organisations, and to strengthen the WAAE and its four international members.

Please now:
a)     forward this email to your arts education colleagues in the Asia-Pacific region and encourage them to participate;
b)     post your contributions between 14-22 December 2009 to the online summit which will be facilitated by Jeff Meiners (School of Education, University of South Australia), World Dance Alliance, in collaboration with Dr Ralph Buck (Presidential Council of the WAAE).
Follow these steps to post your contributions:
1)     Go to http://waaeasiapacific.ning.com/
2)     If you already have a NING account, sign in OR
3)     If you do not have a NING account, create one by following the prompts.
4)     Click the relevant blog post eg. ‘Road Map for Arts Education’ or ‘Questionnaire’
5)     Read the attached document.
6)     Post your contribution in the box ‘Add a comment’.
7)     Click the blue button ‘Add Comment’
·        You can then repeat this process for other contributions between 14-22 December.
·        You can also respond to other participants’ contributions.
·        Please check the site regularly to keep discussion alive and to make further contributions as new documents are posted.  
We look forward to receiving your contributions!
Best wishes
Jeff Meiners,
School of Education, University of South Australia

WAAE is the World Alliance for Arts Education which includes drama and theatre, visual art, music and dance. Luckily I participated and assisted the WAAE formation ceremony in Viseu, Portugal 2005. Today, WAAE is going to have the first online summit, let’s join and participate in this great event.

WAAE official website: http://www.worldallianceforartseducation.org/