Dream Up : Unlocking Potential Through the Arts
Launched in 2015 by the BNP Paribas Foundation, Dream Up is an international arts education programme that helps youth from underprivileged backgrounds discover the arts as a powerful tool to promote learning and self-confidence. In partnership with 29 organisations across 27 countries, the programme has empowered 75,000 children over the course of the last ten years to embrace artistic expression in the form of dance, music, theatre, photography and singing to boost their confidence.
Young people have benefited from Dream Up and Odyssée Jeunes, two flagship educational programmes led by the BNP Paribas Foundation.
Arts Education Initiatives Around the World :
- In Colombia, the Casa Musical programme – in collaboration with the Fundación Pacificarte – uses music to strengthen social cohesion, culminating in an annual festival celebrating Afro-Colombian heritage.
- In Malaysia, BNP Paribas partnered with the Dignity for Children Foundation, to launch “Perform X Dignity”, a creative platform for young people to develop cultural awareness and essential life skills.
- In Germany, Paradise Garden Productions offers theatre workshops through its “Come and Play” initiative to helps refugee children and young people in Berlin build their confidence and support their social integration through performance.
- In Morocco, The Oum Keltoum Foundation offers classical dance training to children in the Sidi Moumen region to foster discipline and artistic excellence.
Odyssée jeunes: Broadening Horizons Through Educational Travel
Odyssée Jeunes is a joint initiative launched in 2009 by the BNP Paribas Foundation, the Seine-Saint-Denis Departmental Council and France’s Ministry of National Education to make educational school field trips accessible to students.
For more than 17 years, Odyssée Jeunes has already sponsored 1,600 school trips for 66,000 middle school students. These trips are designed around interdisciplinary themes including:
- Language immersion and cultural exchange
- Citizenship and civic education (e.g., EU integration, global cooperation)
- Historical and memorial site visits
- Scientific discovery
- Sustainability
- Arts education and cultural heritage
- Economic awareness, professional occupations and training
A Journey to Remember!
The BNP Paribas Foundation and civic Engagement
Through programmes like Dream Up and Odyssée Jeunes, the BNP Paribas Foundation empowers young people to discover new interests, ambitions and careers. This commitment was further strengthened by the launch of the Foundation’s civic Engagement Programme in 2025 to support partners working towards social cohesion through four key pillars:
- · Expanding access to quality education for all;
- · Promoting open dialogue, secularism and freedom of expression;
- · Preserving the values of democracy, peace and collective memory;
- · Combating misinformation through media literacy (in partnership with La Chance pour la Diversité).
These initiatives empowers young people to engage with society in an active, well-informed and constructive way.