Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults (IIDCYA)

 The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA, known in Iran as Kanoon) was established in January 1966. Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, its supervision was entrusted to the Ministry of Education.

 The primary objective of IIDCYA is to create the necessary facilities for the intellectual and aesthetic growth of children and adolescents and to help cultivate their talents during their leisure time.

Our Mission

• Establishing centers across the country for providing books and cultural, artistic, and literary education tailored for children and adolescents.

• Preparing and utilizing audiovisual equipment, providing educational tools, and producing, distributing, screening, and selling films, as well as producing theater specifically for children and young adults.

• Contributing to the development and promotion of children's and young adult literature by encouraging authors, illustrators, artists, and publishers and collaborating with them.

• Organizing literary, artistic, and cultural festivals and exhibitions specifically for children and adolescents.

• Producing entertainment products, toys, computer games, dolls, etc.

• Creating mobile library units to deliver books to children in villages.

• Cooperating with Iranian and international organizations that share common goals with IIDCYA.

Cultural and Artistic Activities

The activities of IIDCYA are divided into three main categories: Production, Cultural Services, and Commercial Activities.

Cultural Activities

• Cultural Complexes and Creative Centers: With the expansion of IIDCYA's activities, large "Cultural and Artistic Complexes" have been established in most major cities. These complexes often house the provincial executive headquarters and, with facilities like amphitheaters, conference halls, exhibition spaces, creative art workshops, and children's bazaars, provide diverse services to members, instructors, and staff in each province.

• Cultural-Artistic Centers (Libraries): The first IIDCYA library was established in 1966 in Laleh Park, Tehran. Instructors at these centers provide easy access to resources, offering book lending and over 40 different activities in cultural, artistic, and literary categories. These include reading sessions, poetry recitals, storytelling, puppet shows, choir, film screenings, mural newspaper creation, painting, pottery, collage, open discussions, and introductions to personalities, countries, and professions. These activities are designed for the 6-18 age group.

• Inclusive Libraries: By repurposing some centers, IIDCYA has enabled the participation of children with visual, hearing, and other special needs alongside other members. These operate as "Inclusive Centers."

• Rural and Urban Mobile Libraries: These are units where an instructor travels by vehicle equipped with books and cultural materials to rural areas and underprivileged urban neighborhoods.

• Postal Libraries: This service provides a book lending program via mail. The postal librarians also answer children's cultural, scientific, and literary questions.

• National Museum of Child Art and Literature: Established in 2000 and registered as a national cultural heritage site in 2019, the museum's primary mission is to preserve artifacts and resources from the content and cultural product production process (including books, films, games, toys, theater, etc.). Its collection includes invaluable treasures of illustrations, audiovisual resources, posters, books, maquettes, dolls, awards, trophies, equipment, and organizational documents.

                • Center for Artistic Experimentation and Novel Ideas: This center is responsible for developing new artistic methods for activities and prototyping productions within the framework of IIDCYA's goals and programs.

• Reference Library: IIDCYA's Reference Library is the most important specialized library in Iran in the fields of "Education," "Art," and "Children's Literature," housing a valuable selection of books and periodicals for children and young adults in 25 world languages.

Iran Language Institute (ILI): The most extensive educational activity of IIDCYA for its audience is carried out by the Iran Language Institute. Previously known as the Iran-America Society, the ILI began its work in Tehran in 1925. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, this educational institution continued its activities under the supervision of IIDCYA with the goal of teaching foreign languages. Approximately one million children, adolescents, and adults across the country are learning English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Turkish, Spanish, and Farsi. All aforementioned activities are supported by extensive research conducted by IIDCYA's Research Division. Its duties include research on productions and activities, training specialized personnel, and keeping instructors, experts, and managers up-to-date to provide better services.

Production Activities

IIDCYA produces appropriate content for children and young adults in various fields:

• Publications: Over 50 years of activity, IIDCYA Publications has released 2,896 titles (as of 2022) in various languages and formats, including print books, book-films, audiobooks, e-books, Braille books, and religious, historical, and literary collections. It has also produced three sets of Iranian-Islamic themed stationery, with over 150 products now on the market. Its publications have won numerous awards at national and international festivals, including at UNESCO, Bologna, and Bratislava exhibitions, the Noma Concours (Japan), and have been included in the IBBY Honour List and the Munich Library list. It has been recognized as the "Publisher of the Year" at the Tehran International Book Fair twelve times and has received Iran's Book of the Year award. 

• Cinema: The Cinema Department was founded in 1969, and 454 live-action and animated films have been produced to date. Besides producing short, feature, and animated films, it also reviews submitted scripts and selects the best for production. A significant number of IIDCYA's national and international accolades are thanks to its cinematic activities, including an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for "Children of Heaven," the Children's Award at the Cannes Film Festival for the animation "Bahador," and 16 international awards for the animation "Shangol and Mangol."

• Music Production: Producing music for children, adolescents, and adults is another longstanding production activity.

• Theater and Puppet Theater Center: Established in 1971, this center produces theatrical works for children and young adults using puppet, stage, and combined methods. A notable activity since its inception has been performing theater in rural and deprived areas to make theater accessible to children across the country. Nearly 281 theater titles have been produced for them.

• Mobile Theater Truck (Mobile Playhouse): This is a mobile stage that travels village-to-village to deprived areas across the country, performing shows with various artists and theater troupes. The new mobile theaters are not just stages but are equipped with modern audio-visual technology and outdoor displays, also enabling film screenings for children and adolescents.

• Constructive Entertainment Center: Established in 1982, this center designs and produces intellectual, artistic, and cultural entertainments. Its activities include designing and producing various toys, games, educational software, computer games, and three generations of the popular Iranian dolls "Dara and Sara," as well as traditional ritual dolls. Some of its computer games have won awards at various festivals.

Commercial Activities

IIDCYA offers its products—including books, toys, computer games, films, and stationery—to the public through its chain of stores and sales agencies in various cities. It grants agencies to owners of centers selling cultural products related to children and adolescents, collaborates with non-IIDCYA publishers and producers to sell their products in its stores, and participates in national and international exhibitions. Children, adolescents, and various organizations can also access IIDCYA's books through a subscription service without the need to visit a physical store.

Festivals, Exhibitions, and Programs

Organizing institutional, national, and international festivals, exhibitions, and programs is one of IIDCYA's most important activities, welcoming millions of children, adolescents, cultural figures, artists, and the general public across the country every year.

• Tehran International Animation Festival

• International Storytelling Festival

• Cultural, Literary, and Artistic Gatherings (e.g., Poetry, Story, Photography, Choir, and Play gatherings).Note: "Mahvaré" is a term coined by IIDCYA for its non-competitive events for children and youth.

• Tehran International Children's Painting Exhibition and Contest

• National programs for the Ten-Day Dawn (celebrating the Revolution), National Child Day and Week, Press Festival, Book Festival, Photo Festival, Toy Festival and Exhibition, and internal festivals like Puppet Show Festival, "Ghaddeek" (Dandelion) Film Festival, and Research Festival.

International Activities

• ASSITEJ: IIDCYA represents the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ) in Iran.

• CIFEJ: IIDCYA represents the International Centre of Films for Children and Young People (CIFEJ) in Iran.

• Submitting IIDCYA productions to international competitions and festivals.

Book of the Month & Book of the Year Award

To help improve the quality of works, introduce suitable books for children and young adults, and support creators in this field, IIDCYA awards prizes to selected books each month and year. These awards are the Silver Simorgh (Book of the Month) and the Golden Simorgh (Book of the Year).