Announcing ICAF e.V. and UNESCO support.

June 14, 2004 marked a milestone in ICAF's journey to bring about a fundamental change in world con sciousness regarding the value and contribution of children. On that date, ICAF e.V. was registered (number

18502) as a charity association in Germany. Munich is now ICAF's second home.

Meet some members of the ICAF family in Munich:

Elena Janker

An award-winning artist when she was a child, Elena Janker has worked for more than ten years in cultural management and has organized and staged major cultural events. Elena obtained a Master's degree in German literature and language from universities in Sofia, Bulgaria and Munich before getting an advanced degree in cultural management. She joined ICAF in 2002 and organized ICAF's second Arts Olympiad in Germany. In June 2004, she led the establishment ICAF e.V. in Germany and serves as its director. Elena Janker is a member of the Board of Directors of ICAF.

Rainer Janicki

A father of two children, Rainer is a freelance copywriter and creative director for various German advertising agencies, and a founding member of ICAF e.V. Here is his utopia:

"I wake up long before the alarm rings. It is daylight and I wonder at the strange color of the sky beyond my window. The sky is indescribable: green, orange and pink, all at once. I start my daily routine of washing, dressing and eating breakfast.

But today everything is different. Life is softer and warmer. The rough edges are gone.

I have breakfast with my parents, but it is not like before. We laugh together when a glass of juice is knocked over. We hug each other before I leave for school. On my way to school I see lots of people on the street, with friendly smiles--and no cars.

My teacher assigns strawberry ice cream instead of homework and playtime lasts almost the entire day. In our history lesson, we learn about a horrible time when people used to fight and kill each other.

On my way home the sky becomes yellowish-red. A flock of birds fly over my head. Flowers bloom through the asphalt of streets without cars. Playgrounds are at every corner, filled with laughter. At home I paint and play. This is my life, my future, my utopia.

Suddenly the alarm rings. I pull myself out of bed and gaze at the sky. It is indescribable: green, orange and pink, all at once. Just like in my dream. Could my dream have changed the world? Is this utopia?"

Antje Tesche-Mentzen

For thirty years, Antje has been running Germany's oldest drawing school for children. She is a renowned painter and sculptor, and an Honorary Board Member of ICAF e.V.

"I only encourage their imagination. First of all, I think that every child is gifted and has to be encouraged. Then, I gently show him or her a way to put a thought on paper. Sometimes I talk to them about my own work, about my own problems and they feel proud to be my coolleagues. And there is something else that is crucial: the sentence "This is not nice--a tree doesn't look like this" is a taboo with me. It kills so much."

Claudia Lechthaler

While in Washington DC as an intern with ICAF, Claudia took on the challenge of involving German children in ICAF's second Arts Olympiad. When she returned to Germany, she found Elena Janker and thus ICAF e.V. was born.

Maja Grassinger

ICAF Advisory Board Member, Mrs. Grassinger operates the Kunstlerhaus-Stiftung-Lenbachplatz in Munich. She and her daughter participated in ICAF's international festival in Washington DC.

Peter Eduard Meier

General Manager of Eduard Meier GmbH, vorm. Kgl. Bayer. Hoflieferant, seit 1596 is Honorary Board Member of ICAF e.V.

Tatajana Prinzessin zu Schaumburg Lippe

Is Honorary Board member of ICAF e.V.

Martina Borkner

Architect and ICAF e.V. member

Christoph Feinweber

Architect and ICAF e.V. member.

Heidi Preisler

Art teacher for disadvantaged children and ICAF e.V. member

Elvira Mullereile

Educator and ICAF e.V. member

Ingo Maurer

Light designer and ICAF e.V. member

Thanks to our team, Munich is now poised to play a leadership role in building friendship and understanding between German and American children, and among children of the world. Please email ICAF at [e-mail] or ICAF e.V,. at [e-mail] with your creative ideas and contributions if you would like to help or support us.

UNESCO Supports Third Arts Olympiad

ICAF's Third Arts Olympiad (2004-2008) links art and sport to promote cross-cultural and inter-religious understanding and cooperation. The program begins in classrooms worldwide and leads to national, regional and international celebrations. A structured lesson plan can be downloaded from http://olympiad.icaf.org. The art competition on the theme My Favorite Sport is open to children ages 8 to 12. ICAF does not charge any fee for participation in the Arts Olympiad or from delegates selected to participate in its events.

Special Message from Milagros del Corral, UNESCO's Deputy Assistant Director-General for Culture, and Director of the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture (IFPC)

"The International Fund for the Promotion of Culture (IFPC) is very pleased to be an Educational Partner of the Arts Olympiad, a groundbreaking initiative of the International Child Art Foundation.

Our two organizations share the conviction that through art, and beyond it, culture, we can make this world a better place to live in. Like arts, sports have that magic capacity to draw people together regardless of differences, and putting those two disciplines into synergy together in the Arts Olympiad is an excellent idea that I hope will help bring Children from all over the world closer together.

The seeds of tolerance and peace must be sown in the hearts and minds of children as early as possible, and what better and more inspiring way to do this than through art and sports. Picasso once said to that every child is an artist. To the children taking part in the Olympiad I would like to say: you are all artists at heart, even though some of you do not yet know it. Use the talents hidden in you; look hard for them, and do not say, "I am not good at this". Look at it this way: the forest would be a silent and sad place if only birds that sing best dared to sing.

I can assure you that we will do whatever we can to contribute to the success of the Olympiad."

Milagros del Corral