Cantara – Bridging Cultures provides ongoing support for cultural offerings in schools in the Gütersloh region. It also strengthens local cultural efforts by building and supporting neighborhood networks. 

It is a joint project of the Liz Mohn Foundation and Gesellschaft in Bewegung e.V. (GiB! e.V.).  

Many children and young people only have access to cultural education through preschools and schools. Yet these institutions offer too few possibilities for engaging in cultural activities. Moreover, restrictions imposed during the Covid pandemic resulted in uncertainty, fear and developmental delays among many children and adolescents. Cultural education projects are particularly suitable for overcoming such deficits, thanks to their unifying, creative and empowering nature.

Cantara allows the Liz Mohn Foundation and GiB! e.V. to provide children and young people in Gütersloh with equal opportunities for cultural and, thus, social participation. Thanks to the resounding success of the previous project round, it was possible to expand Cantara to the city of Bielefeld in the 2022/23 school year: In addition to three elementary schools and one secondary school in Gütersloh, two elementary schools in Bielefeld are now also taking part in the project.

Beginning in January of each year, the young participants are guided by instructors from the worlds of theater, dance, and vocal and instrumental music as they develop their own stage musical, which is performed at Gütersloh Theater at the end of the project. This gives the students the chance to gain professional insights into the fields of acting, dance and music. In the future, these cultural offerings for primary and secondary schools will also be anchored in preschools and youth centers. In addition, the Liz Mohn Foundation and GiB! e.V. want to strengthen cultural activities locally by building and supporting neighborhood networks.