Speeches

Lithuania as a creative nation aspiring to innovation - that is my vision of the future. We have to become creative innovators not only in Europe, but also in the world. To build a Lithuania like that, it will take the efforts of each and every person. Lithuania's economic growth, its social well being and the pride that its citizens have for their country will depend on our innovative ideas and our creative ability to translate them into reality.

The future of Lithuania will be shaped through the interaction of culture, education, science, business, and other domains. We have many talented people, but we are lacking streamlined endeavors to create new products and we have no tradition of cross-sectoral collaboration. We also have a deep-rooted conviction that scientists, artists and entrepreneurs do not mix well.

Let us radically change our attitudes, let us seek common goals and let us work together. It is essential that every team should include those with innovative ideas and those with the know-how to realize them.

Today's employers, especially in the face of new challenges, should be interested not only in diplomas, but also in the ability of their employees for communication, efficient team-work as well as critical and creative reasoning.

Even today there are people who believe that only those with special gifts have the aptitude to work and live creatively. This assumption, however, is wrong. It makes us turn away from people capable of making immense creative contributions. We need to stimulate, encourage and promote every single human potential. It is yet another new great challenge to our system of education. Creativity needs to be taught in a multifaceted way and at all levels of the education system.

We are observing new forms of promoting individuality in day-care centers, schools and universities - but that is not enough. Creativity is not as yet fully stimulated in education. The evaluation of education results is still based on formal knowledge. Artists should be more actively involved in teaching diverse skills and abilities. I still see a lot of unexploited potential in the development of continuing collaboration between schools, universities, cultural institutions, and artists.

To educate a creative individual - but most importantly an individual capable of working creatively together with specialists from other domains or cultures - we have to change our communicative approach and start seeing similarities instead of differences. Only a well educated teacher who does not feel superior to the student can advance creativity and teach others the courage to make mistakes, to admit and correct them. The teacher and the student are fellow-colleagues engaged in the process of making a creative individual and a new Lithuania.

A creative person is the spark that drives Lithuania - and not only Lithuania - forward. We must seek ambitious goals, we must think and act as future disseminators of creative ideas not only in Europe, but also worldwide.

I extend my cordial welcome to the participants and guests of the Forum. I wish that the idea of creativity should unite us all and bring forth, already at this gathering, new ideas and insights.