CONNECTED BY THE BORDER – network building event 8 noiembrie 2012, Chisinau

EN - – - – - Trans Cultura Foundation (Poland) together with Workshops of Culture (Poland) and partners: Suburb Cultural Centre (Armenia), United Artits’ Club (Azerbaijan), Lohvinau Publishing House (Belarus), GeoAIR (Georgia), Young Artists Association “Oberliht” (Moldova) and “Dzyga” Art Association (Ukraine) would like to invite to participate in study visits and workshops session dedicated to the building of the new model of culture networking in Eastern Partnership and non – EU countries. In 2011 the Trans Culture Foundation, together with its partners from the EaP countries and financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland organized the first Eastern Partnership Culture Congress (EPCC) during which representatives of the cultural sectors from EaP and EU countries set the directions for cultural cooperation for the upcoming years and developed recommendations for EU policies. This project is a continuation of works which begun during EPCC. The activities planned in the project are to prepare artists, culture managers, institutions and culture organizations from EaP countries for active participation in the second EPCC schedules for 2013 and to create a tool for building of a cultural cooperation network in Eastern Europe. AIMS: Reinforcement of culture and civil society’s role in building of friendly relations between the European Union and the Eastern Partnership countries and their mutual respect. OBJECTIVES:

• Building a new model of network for cultural cooperation in Eastern Europe, aiming at intensification of contacts between cultural operators, NGOs, artists and managers of the EaP and the EU countries.
• Raising the level of knowledge and skills in modern culture management, education and cultural policies
• Building and strengthening the positive image of Eastern Europe in EU.

PROJECT DURATION: July – December 2012. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: representatives of opinion-forming cultural circles in the EaP countries: representatives of cultural institutions, NGOs, artists, animators, and managers of culture and arts, an academics  interested in implementing projects of cultural cooperation with the Eastern Partnership and the European Union countries. PROJECT SCHEDULE: Study visits and meetings in: Baku (Azerbaijan) 6th of October 2012 Yerevan (Armenia) 12nd of October 2012 Minsk (Belarus) 2nd of November 2012 Chisinau (Moldova) 8th of November 2012 Networking Building Workshops: Tbilisi (Georgia) 8 – 11 October 2012 – workshops for participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (max 10 from each country) Lviv (Ukraine) 4 – 7 November 2012  – workshops for participants from Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine (max 10 from each country) Workshop Leaders (PDF) Study visits and meetings:

• Visits in art and culture institutions and organizations, meetings with artists, cultural and art managers of festivals, international projects and social activists aiming at familiarization with the models in which the cultural activities function in the EaP countries as well as establishing contacts with representatives of cultural communities in these countries.
• Meetings dedicated to the Eastern Partnership Culture Congress’ mission, results and future objectives, the European Union’s foreign policy towards the Eastern Partnership, integration of the EaP and the EU countries, possibilities of participation in educational artistic, social and financial programs and EU mechanisms for the EaP citizens as well as the current situation of culture in the EaP countries.

Networking Building Workshops:

• workshops dedicated to issues such as: networking and partnership – what does it mean, what are the models of networking, study cases, models of networking for Eastern Partnership countries and non – EU countries. Building the new model of network cultural development in EaP countries, its mission and main goals and projects.

The result of these visits shall be the development of a strategy for building of networks for cultural cooperation in Eastern Europe, development of guidelines for the next Congress, to be held in 2013 and the analysis of culture and its aspects shape as well as the impact on the political, social and economic systems in the EaP countries and integration with the EU. This diagnosis will be used to develop common tools for cooperation in Europe and will be one of the important elements in creating a strategy for building of networks for cultural cooperation in Eastern Europe. THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE PROJECT:

• participation in workshops run by renowned European expertsacquire the knowledge and experience in the field of cultural management, network building and cultural policies, the creation of cultural, social and educational projects, sources of financing and mobility
• getting to know experts who work for the Eastern Partnership good, tightening of relations between EaP and EU, and who are initiators of projects that integrate countries of the region
• possibility to join the already existing programming and financing mechanisms for the EaP

ORGANIZERS: Trans Culture Foundation (Poland) The Workshops of Culture in Lublin (Poland) PARTNERS: Suburb Cultural Centre (Armenia) United Artits’ Club (Azerbaijan) Lohvinau Publishing House (Belarus) GeoAIR (Georgia) Young Artists Association “Oberliht” (Moldova) “Dzyga” Art Association (Ukraine) The project is co-financed by the Lublin City Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland CONTACT: Project coordinator: Agata Will; agata.will@gmail.com Trans Culture Foundation (Fundacja Trans Kultura) Zlota Street 5/21 20-052 Lublin, Poland Tel./fax +48 81 533 08 18 email: fundacja@transkultura.org www.transkultura.org

Tags : “Dzyga” Art Association, GeoAIR, Lohvinau Publishing House, Oberliht Young Artists Association, Suburb Cultural Centre, United Artits’ Club