Schools should support the organizations, popular movements and recreational activities in which young person's themselves participate, just as schools in their turn are supported by these bodies. Activities under the aegis of organizations and associations can provide schools with an inducement to test various work procedures, and if pupils come into contact with associations in the local community during their school day, this can provide them with an inducement for meaningful leisure activities. Associations can cater for the pupils' need for involvement in school.



The school management must after consulting the teachers concerned, initiate co-operation by extending invitations to representatives of associations. Contributions can be made by associations during lesson time but above all during the time allotted for free activities and during time before and after the school day. The school management and the teachers concerned must be enabled to plan activities properly as regards timing and premises. The participation of associations must take place within the frames constituted by the school day, resources and the facilities available.

All activities during the school day are subject to the general goals defined for the school system. Within this framework, the associations themselves should be responsible for the planning of free activities. Associations with particular programs, must be entitled to propagate their views. It is the duty of the school management to secure a balance and a comprehensive range through their selection of association activities.

Sometimes only certain political association's may be willing to participate in school activities. This must not be allowed to stand in the way of all activities. Instead the teaching staff should provide sufficient information during lesson time concerning other ideas, so that the pupils can acquire a total view based on information that is as ,comprehensive as possible. The aim should be, however, for associations representing different opinions to be directly active in schools.

Schools can make many important contributions in the cultural sphere. Responsibility for the performance of cultural tasks rests with all school subjects, but special responsibility rests with those subjects who are concerned with developing the pupils' expressive and communicative capacity in order to establish good cultural standards for children and young persons. The teaching of Swedish, pictorial studies, music, handicraft and athletics, for example, provides all pupils with a basic insight concerning different manifestations of human emotions, moods and experiences. In this way too they are given creativity training which forms part of their personal development.

Artistic vehicles of expression, school and working 1ife e.g. the theatre and pictorial media, are important instruments for bringing to life the content of different subjects and for presenting work achievements and expressing opinions. Projects studies facilitates activities such as drama and film making, and libraries are an important resources where project work is needed.

But the role of schools as cultural centers should not be confined to compulsory instruction. Schools should also bring pupils into contact with various cultural manifestations such as concerts, theatre performances, film shows and art exhibitions. Since schools cater for all children and young persons, this is one way of countering the tendency whereby many cultural events otherwise only affect certain groups.

Within the framework of optional subjects or free activities of various kinds, the pupils can deepen their interests in various cultural spheres. The auxiliary resource includes funds for a certain amount of voluntary music teaching provided by compulsory school music teachers. Partnership with voluntary organizations and municipal schools of music can also mean a great deal. Free activities, like lessons themselves, provide opportunities for cultural workers of various kinds to take part in school activities. Schools can arrange groups concerning the theatre, films, pictorial studies and dance. Different pupil groups in school should be enabled to present programs of their own in other classes, at other school levels or in other schools. This is often a good way of helping to tackle various problems at school, e.g. problems connected with mobbing and questions concerning alcohol and drugs.

Schools must operate in partnership with enterprise and working life generally. This will mean a portion of school activities being conducted outside the school buildings in the form of field trips, excursions and practical vocational orientation. Moreover, schools utilize materials and examples from working life. Working conditions must as far as possible be illustrated in concrete terms in the teaching context This means that other persons besides the school staff must be able to participate in both lessons and free activities.