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5 July 2021

Introducing the AUN Thematic Network Series #12 – AUN-CA

By
Noppanun Sookping
AUN Programme Officer;

ASEAN University Network on Culture and the Arts (AUN-CA) was established as an AUN Thematic Network dedicated to promoting creativity, culture and arts among the ASEAN student community. The network aspires to be a powerful means through which students, educators and formators in the field of arts and culture across the ASEAN region can cultivate their knowledge and skills towards a united ASEAN.

The establishment of the AUN-CA as a new thematic network initiated by De La Salle University from the Philippines was approved at the 33rd AUN Board of Trustees (AUN-BOT). Essentially, the network serves as an innovative and integrated ASEAN +3 academic community that nurtures culture and fosters creativity. Its objectives are:

  • To serve as a venue for sharing issues and best practices in creativity, cultural education and arts programming in campuses, and the prospects of creative industries in the region
  • To serve as platform for policy development on creativity, cultural education and arts programming in higher education
  • To collaborate on researches and programs on culture, arts and creativity, and ASEAN awareness
  • To facilitate exchanges among AUN members and partners who are engaged in culture and the arts, specifically for students, faculty, and administrators
  • To petition for the inclusion of creativity and cultural awareness as one of the components in the AUN Quality Assessment To pursue joint community engagement activities through creativity workshops for the young people in the region

AUN-CA runs youth engagement activities as part of its means to reach out to the artistic student-teacher community of the ASEAN region in its mission to advocate culture and arts. One of its most enriching activities is the AUN-CA Dialogues Research Forum. The forum was initiated to appreciate and share each of the ASEAN countries’ cultures and traditions. It serves as a venue for exchanging ideas to provide for students and teachers. It also acts as a platform for their discussion of their current creative work or research under certain perspectives or circumstances, particularly at this time under the difficulties imposed by the pandemic.

Another major event organized by AUN-CA, is the Crosslight Learning Sessions and Arts Festival, serving as a multi-purpose platform for students and teachers from ASEAN 3+ members and universities to foster deeper understanding of each country’s culture. Set this June – July 2021, the event offers a variety of digital events, including the Learning Sessions (June 2021),  Design Art Exhibition, Performance Showcase, and Film Festival (July 2021). The event encourages students and teachers from institutions across the ASEAN region to submit entries in various forms of art as efforts to showcase the region’s variety of artistic talents and cultural diversity.

Essentially, AUN-CA is ushering the nurturing of artistic and cultural knowledge among the educational community of the ASEAN region. Through hosting activities such as the AUN-CA Dialogues Research Forum or the AUN-CA Crosslight Conference and Arts Festival, AUN-CA is establishing its reputation as the regional network to uphold creativity, culture and arts as one of the main pillars to unite the ASEAN region.

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In the next article, we will take a look at AUN-SCUD, a sub-thematic network dedicated to fostering Sustainable City and Urban Development studies and best practices.