2024 PONTAISE Children and Families Project

"On the Path to Culture: A Cultural Journey for Toddlers and Their Parents"

Our project aims to create a parent-child drop-in center designed to foster the artistic and cultural development of families living in the Pontaise, La Borde, and L’Ancien Stand neighborhoods of Lausanne.

The primary target audience for this sociocultural project is families, particularly parents and children (ages 2 to 5) from disadvantaged backgrounds. This means the project must be accessible to everyone, with no restrictions based on socioeconomic criteria. Activities must be free to allow everyone to participate, but fees may be charged for more expensive cultural outings.

Project Title. “On the Path to Culture: A Cultural Journey for Toddlers and Their Parents” Project Purpose and Objectives. Our project aims to create a parent-child drop-in center designed to foster the artistic and cultural development of families living in the Pontaise, La Borde, and Ancien Stand neighborhoods of Lausanne. We are aware of the economic challenges faced by this population, as well as their difficulty in accessing art and culture. The goal is to foster children’s cultural awareness from a very young age, while allowing parents to share special moments with their little ones. For over a year now, we have been running a program for parents and their children at the Maison de Quartier de la Pontaise. These sessions take place every Wednesday morning. We are committed to improving and expanding these programs for parents and children by offering cultural activities. The parent-child program we hope to develop would aim to create a welcoming environment where families can participate in artistic and cultural activities tailored to preschool-aged children and their parents. We therefore plan to organize creative workshops, performances, film screenings, readings, exhibition visits, and cultural outings. To carry out this project, we plan to collaborate with local artists and cultural institutions in Lausanne (HEMU, Lausanne Library, the “Passeurs de mots” Association, and the “Les Bouquinistes” Association). We will also work closely with local organizations and schools in the area to reach as many families as possible. In summary, our parent-child program aims to offer families accessible artistic and cultural activities that are tailored to their needs and promote social inclusion in their neighborhood. We firmly believe in the importance of art and culture in personal development, and we wish to offer these families an opportunity to open themselves up to new and enriching experiences. Project Content and Activities. The cultural project aims to offer parents and young children an educational and fun experience, with the goal of fostering their artistic and cultural development from a very young age. Theater will be one of the main themes. We will organize theater workshops tailored to young children, led by professionals in the field. Parents will also be invited to participate and encourage their children in this exploration. Storytelling will also play an important role in our project. Professional storytellers will come to tell stories to the young children. These storytelling sessions will allow children to develop their imagination and listening skills while discovering different stories. Music will also be highlighted. Workshops introducing young children to musical instruments will be offered to help them develop their musical sense and creativity. Age-appropriate concerts will also be organized, where parents and children can enjoy musical moments together. Dance will be another activity offered as part of our cultural program. Dance workshops tailored for young children will be led by professional dancers. These workshops will allow them to explore their motor skills and physical expression. Finally, culinary arts will also be integrated into our project. Workshops will be organized where children can participate in preparing simple dishes and taste what they’ve made. These workshops will introduce children to the joy of cooking. To round out this project, visits to cultural sites will be planned. Parents and young children will thus be able to discover museums, exhibitions, and theaters. Target Audience. The primary target audience for this sociocultural project is families, particularly parents and children (ages 2 to 5) from disadvantaged backgrounds. This means the project must be accessible to everyone, without any restrictions based on socioeconomic criteria. Activities must be free to allow everyone to participate, though fees may be charged for more expensive cultural outings. Preliminary Schedule. The project will run for 30 weeks during 2024. Meetings and workshops will take place every Wednesday morning and on select weekends (excluding school vacation periods). Provisional Schedule for Our Cultural Project for Parents and Preschool-Aged Children: January 2024: Project presentation and communication with families - Week 1: Welcome morning with parents and children to present the project and gather their ideas and suggestions. - Week 2: Parent-child meet-and-greet. Time for meetings and discussions. Games for children. February 2024: Theme: The Art of Dance - Week 3: Dance workshop to introduce children to simple movements and coordination. - Week 4: Parent-child meet-and-greet. Time for getting to know each other and discussions. Games for children. - Week 5: Expression games, percussion, and rhythm activities for children and adults. March 2024: Theme: The Art of Theater - Week 6: Parent-child meet-and-greet. Time for socializing and discussion. Games for children. - Week 7: Creating costumes and disguises with parents and children. - Week 8: Activity organized by families and children. - Week 9: Family outing to the Lausanne Puppet Theater (depending on the schedule). April 2024 Theme: Culinary Arts. - Week 10: Painting with vegetables (Instructor: Anna OCAMPO). - Week 11: Preparing and tasting dishes made by parents and children. May 2024: Theme: The Art of Cinema - Week 12: Parent-child gathering. Time for socializing and discussion. Games for children. - Week 13: Screening of a short animated film followed by a discussion. - Week 14: Activity organized by families and children. June 2024: Theme: The Art of Music - Week 15: Parent-child gathering. Time for meeting and discussion. Games for children. - Week 16: Making simple musical instruments from recycled materials. - Week 17: Preparing for Music Day with parents and children. - Week 18: Musical performance for toddlers as part of Music Day (HEMU). September 2024 Theme: Literary Arts. - Week 19: Parent-child meet-and-greet. Presentation of upcoming activities and gathering of ideas and suggestions. - Week 20: Visit to the local library, “Les Bouquinistes,” for parents and children. - Week 21: Storytime for toddlers (in partnership with Bibliobus) - Week 22: Parent-child meet-and-greet. Time for socializing and discussion. Games for children. October 2024: Theme: The Art of Storytelling - Week 23: Parent-child meet-and-greet. Time for socializing and discussion. Games for children. - Week 24: Storytime: “Not Even Scared!” (Les passeurs de mots) November 2024: Theme: The Art of Painting. - Week 25: Parent-child drop-in session. Time for socializing and discussion. Games for children. - Week 26: Visit to an art gallery or museum with activities tailored for toddlers (depending on the schedules of Lausanne’s museums and art galleries). - Week 27: Creation of a collaborative artwork with parents and children (Facilitator: Lydie DRAMA) - Week 28: Activity proposed by families and children. December 2024 Theme: The Art of Celebration - Week 29: Preparing for the Christmas celebration with children and parents (decorating) - Week 30: Christmas celebration performance. Project Partners. Local Artist-Residents: We firmly believe in the artistic richness of our neighborhood and wish to take full advantage of this opportunity. To this end, we will enlist the participation of numerous local artists to organize various workshops and cultural events (painting and graphic design workshops, musical performances, cooking workshops). In all these initiatives, we aim to involve neighborhood artists as key partners. We believe in the value of their contributions and their expertise, and we want to actively involve them in building this project. HEMU: Activities focused on the theme of music will be organized in close collaboration with the HEMU in Lausanne. Organization of musical exploration workshops for families, where children can discover and try out different instruments. Presentation of musical performances tailored for children and families, offered in collaboration with HEMU students. “Les Passeurs de mots”: Workshops and storytelling sessions for children. Themed walks will be organized in the Pontaise neighborhood, where storytellers from Les Passeurs de mots will share captivating stories with children and their parents. Lausanne Library – Bookmobile: Reading sessions for families will be organized. A varied selection of books suitable for preschool-aged children to encourage reading among children while offering parents a space to meet and interact. Musée de l’Art Brut—Puppet Theater: Organization of tours of local museums. These days could include guided tours tailored for young children. Les Bouquinistes: Organizing visits to the “Bouquinistes” premises and offering musical or theatrical performances. Project Evaluation To evaluate the results and impact of our project, we plan to establish regular communication with families to gather their feedback and assess how well our actions align with their expectations. These exchanges may take the form of questionnaires or group meetings, depending on the families’ preferences and availability. In addition to these qualitative interactions, we will also use quantitative criteria to evaluate our project. We will track the number of participants in our workshops, taking into account their regular attendance. This will allow us to measure families’ engagement and the appeal of our activities. Although the project is specifically aimed at families with limited social and cultural capital, we aim to foster interaction among diverse groups. We will therefore pay particular attention to the diversity of the participants. We will assess whether our project succeeds in reaching different types of families from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Provisional schedule. The project will run for 30 weeks during 2024. Meetings and workshops will take place every Wednesday morning and on select weekends (excluding school vacation periods). Preliminary schedule for our cultural project for parents and preschool-aged children: January 2024: Project presentation and communication with families - Week 1: Welcome morning with parents and children to present the project and gather their ideas and suggestions. - Week 2: Parent-child meet-and-greet. Time for meetings and discussions. Games for children. February 2024: Theme: The Art of Dance - Week 3: Dance workshop to introduce children to simple movements and coordination. - Week 4: Parent-child gathering. Time for meeting and discussion. Games for children. - Week 5: Expression games, percussion, and rhythm activities for children and adults. March 2024: Theme: The Art of Theater - Week 6: Parent-child meet-up. Time for getting together and chatting. Games for children. - Week 7: Creating costumes and disguises with parents and children. - Week 8: Activity proposed by families and children. - Week 9: Family outing to the Lausanne Puppet Theater (depending on the schedule). April 2024 Theme: Culinary Arts. - Week 10: Painting with vegetables (Instructor: Anna OCAMPO). - Week 11: Preparing and tasting dishes made by parents and children. May 2024: Theme: The Art of Cinema - Week 12: Parent-child get-together. Time for socializing and discussion. Games for children. - Week 13: Screening of a short animated film followed by a discussion. - Week 14: Activity proposed by families and children. June 2024: Theme: The Art of Music. - Week 15: Parent-child gathering. Time for get-togethers and discussions. Games for children. - Week 16: Making simple musical instruments from recyclable materials. - Week 17: Preparing for the Fête de la Musique with parents and children. - Week 18: Musical performance for toddlers as part of the Fête de la Musique (HEMU). September 2024 Theme: Literary Arts. - Week 19: Parent-Child Meet-and-Greet. Presentation of upcoming activities and gathering of their ideas and suggestions. - Week 20: Visit to the local library “Les Bouquinistes” for parents and children. - Week 21: Storytime for toddlers (in partnership with Bibliobus) - Week 22: Parent-Child Meet-and-Greet. Time for socializing and discussion. Games for children. October 2024: Theme: The Art of Storytelling - Week 23: Parent-Child Meet-and-Greet. Time for socializing and discussions. Games for children. - Week 24: Storytime: “Not even scared!” (Les passeurs de mots) November 2024: Theme: The Art of Painting. - Week 25: Parent-child gathering. Time for get-togethers and discussions. Games for children. - Week 26: Visit to an art gallery or museum with activities tailored for toddlers (depending on the schedule of Lausanne’s museums and art galleries). - Week 27: Creation of a collaborative artwork with parents and children (Facilitator: Lydie DRAMA) - Week 28: Activity proposed by families and children. December 2024 Theme: The Art of Celebration - Week 29: Preparing for the Christmas party with children and parents (decorating) - Week 30: Christmas party performance.

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