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Großbauer: Culture for children – possible again from today!

Vienna (OTS) “From today you can rehearse, make music and sing again! All children and young people up to the age of 18 can pursue not only their sporting but also their cultural hobbies as part of “extracurricular youth work” in groups of up to ten people, ”says ÖVP culture spokeswoman Maria Großbauer, who is delighted.

“This is another partial success for culture. And: it is extremely important for the mental health of our children and adolescents, as I emphasized in my last speech in the National Council. “In it, Großbauer cited, among other things, a study from 2017 from Salzburg entitled” Art is a Doctor – How do art and music affect patients in child and adolescent psychiatry? ”(Leonhard Thun-Hohenstein, Katarzyna Grebosz-Haring): Two groups were questioned about their psychological well-being using questionnaires and saliva samples were examined for the stress hormone cortisol. The result: the group that actively sang regularly in the choir had significantly better scores than the group that only listened to music passively.

Großbauer: “The young wind musicians, the children’s and youth choirs in the regional choir associations and music schools, small ensembles in music schools – they can all be active again at last! I would like to thank Youth Minister Susanne Raab for this important step for the mental health of our children and adolescents. ”

The new regulation allows indoor groups of a maximum of ten people who have not yet reached the age of 18 (in Vorarlberg there can be up to 20 children and young people outdoors), plus two adult caregivers (with test or FFP2 mask). With a valid antigen test (max. 48 hours) or molecular biological test (max. 72 hours) and a prevention concept from an extracurricular test facility.

Großbauer continues: “Important when making music with wind instruments and when singing: You can do without a mask or keep the distance below if you have a corresponding prevention concept. This must include, for example, marked, permanently assigned seats and a registration requirement for participants. Of course, testing still has to be done. On this occasion, a big thank you to the Austrian Choir Association, the brass music youth and the music schools for their extremely professional prevention concepts and the constructive cooperation during the entire pandemic! ”

Another positive point: If there is a spatial and personal separation, several groups can take place in parallel or one behind the other. Of course: nothing may be consumed on site and the exit restriction from 8 p.m. also continues to apply.

“Culture is extremely important for children and young people: as an outlet for feelings, as a balance to school, now also for digital home schooling, as an analog, human life experience – and as a future basis for our cultural land,” concludes Großbauer.

(Enough)

Inquiries & contact:

Press office of the ÖVP parliamentary club
01/40110/4436
http://www.oevpklub.at

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