June 23, 2025

Youth Fund receives donation of €25,679 from the Art Weeks at the Mauritshuis

We proudly accepted a donation of €25,679 from De Kunstweken (The Art Weeks). The presentation took place at the Mauritshuis, together with two students who themselves participated in De Kunstweken. "It's truly special that, because we participate in De Kunstweken, others can also participate in art and culture!"

Artists at more than 400 schools

The Art Weeks has been an important partner for years. With the free school project Visual Arts Children in primary schools across the Netherlands are given the opportunity to create their own art. More than 400 schools are now participating. Students delve into the life and work of a famous artist, create their own artwork, and exhibit it in their personal online museum. Family and friends can admire it and order a souvenir. A portion of the proceeds from each order goes to us.

Creativity helps children grow

Rianne, a lower-grade teacher and cultural coordinator at the school, shares her experience with the project: “Children develop their own talents through creative activities. They learn to be critical, make plans, persevere, and so much more. After each activity, we had a discussion together; listening to each other, respecting each other's opinions, and being able to express your own ideas.”

Rianne is pleased that creativity is given space in the classroom in this way: "Not every child excels in math or language, but some children thrive in art. Creativity helps children discover themselves and grow – both at school and beyond."

At her school, about 240 children participated. "They had a blast viewing the online gallery together," she says. "Children would shout, 'That's mine!' And a few weeks later, they'd see their art on lunchboxes or notebooks. They still talk about it at lunch."

More children join a club

Thanks to this contribution, we can pay the membership fees or dues of approximately 80 children to a sports or cultural club. This way, we ensure that children from less-affluent families can also participate regularly outside of school and discover their talents.

About the Mauritshuis

In the heart of The Hague stands the Mauritshuis. A small, world-class museum with an extraordinary collection of world-famous 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings. The Mauritshuis gave us a warm welcome during the award ceremony. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world visit this museum every year, all to admire masterpieces such as the Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, the Anatomy lesson by Dr. Nicolaes Tulp from Rembrandt and The goldfinch Fabritius's paintings can be admired in person. As soon as you enter the Mauritshuis, you'll experience the love for these old masters and realize that their centuries-old art and the stories behind them are still very much alive. We admired the masterpieces together with the students. A special place to reflect on what art and creativity can mean, and how important it is that every child has the opportunity to experience them.