Call for Bridge between European Cultural Centres (BECC) programme 2016/2017

Deadline: 31 December 2016

Bridge between European Cultural Centres (BECC) is an ENCC programme dedicated to staff members of cultural centres facilitating their international work experience and subsequently the acquisition of new competences and skills, crucial for providing better service for their community and audiences.

The BECC programme is the ENCC answer to supporting cultural centres staff into building their capacities to face new professional and social challenges, to build European cooperation and working communities, to reflect and exchange in a European and global context. 

BECC Programme aims

• To exchange new knowledge and different experiences at international level about current needs and to introduce new ideas, knowledge and collaboration beyond national borders into the daily work upon return.

• To promote international mobility and life long learning and to increase awareness of international mobility opportunities for local staff members.
• To support a lasting partnership and cooperation between local cultural centres from different countries and to facilitate international solidarity in the field of using arts & culture as a tool for empowerment.
• To enhance sensibility and awareness for different cultures and working methods 

Key information

BECC is a capacity building and process- oriented programme that lasts approximately 8 months. During this period, the following activities will be organized:

1. BECC Launching seminar
2. Exchange period – minimum 10 days
3. ENCC Mentoring throughout all the BECC project period
4. Evaluation

Launching seminar

This "fire-up" event is organised in a European city and brings together for the first time all the participants and mentors. The seminar different formats prepare the participants for their learning journey that will last at least 8 months: training on professional development, workshops, coaching, peer to peer learning (P2P), study visits to other networks and local organisations. ENCC organises the seminar and covers the costs for the participants (travel, accommodation, catering). Participation in the seminar is obligatory for all BECC beneficiaries.

Exchange period – minimum 10 days

The design for the learning experience is developed, in cooperation, by the sending, the hosting organisation and the BECC participant.
The design is focused on a clear needs' assessment and gives the opportunity to learn about the chosen subject in action: visits to organisations, meeting stakeholders, taking part in local activities, taking part in evaluations, sharing of past experiments.
The hosting organisation facilitates the learning process by tackling the language challenge, by providing a local coach, by implementing the learning design as agreed prior to the exchange and offering a qualitative learning experience.
The sending organisation facilitates the learning process by organising a good needs' assessment, quality cooperation with the hosting organisation and by well preparing the BECC participant.

The exchange takes at minimum 10 days, no maximum indicated. 

ENCC Mentoring throughout all the BECC period

ENCC aims at supporting BECC participants in their learning process: from the moment of being selected to participate into the BECC programme until project evaluation (ca 8 months). ENCC will communicate and invite the BECC participants to capacity building activities  and events organised by ENCC or other organisations. Participants will have access to an interactive ressource database on a dedicated website as well as to a facebook fanpage.  

Evaluation

The evaluation is a very relevant moment as the BECC participants will be asked to submit reports to ENCC and explain the outcomes of his/her experience as well as of the organisations involved.

Practical information for BECC participants and participating organizations

Agreement

The Agreement between hosting-sending organizations and ENCC must be delivered to the ENCC office no sooner than 2 weeks before the beginning of the first exchange.

Programme

Hosting and sending organization are obliged to inform the ENCC office about the Programme of the exchange no sooner than 2 weeks before the beginning of the planned exchange. Programme of an exchange is send to the ENCC office by email: [email protected].

Both Programme and Agreement should be delivered to the office in the electronic form with signatures of representative of organization.

Reporting

Report together with products*, prepared by the sending, hosting organization & a participant from a single exchange is delivered to the ENCC office within one month after the exchange.

* Products- any materials produced in frame of an exchange f.e. photos, videos, leaflets, articles, printing materials, blogs, social media products etc.

Call for BECC programme 2016/2017

Priorities 2016/2017

1. Professionalisation of young cultural managers (below 35 years old) from cultural centres and cultural spaces, especially from Eastern, South Eastern,  Southern Europe and neighbourhood countries;
2. Support innovation and experimentation in the contemporary work of cultural centres when dealing with current concerns and issues i.e: new models for participation, digitalisation, territorial development, creative regions, social innovation, data collection, networking, new ways of learning, audience development, creative industries, democracy, migration, support for grassroots-activities, dealing with local politics, tackling diversity, raising cultural competences of local communities,...
3. Integration of a European perspective in cultural centres strategies.

Participation conditions & obligations

For the staff members

1. To be a young staff member (below 35 years old) of a cultural centre (managers, professionals, technicians, artists, project coordinators, teachers, trainers, freelancer, trainees, volunteers etc.);
2. To attend the BECC launching seminar organised by ENCC;
3. To be active in the preparation and evaluation of the learning experience;
4. To report about the experience to ENCC;
5. To be active in the hosting of the staff member of the partner organisation.

For the hosting and sending organisations

1. To be a member of ENCC or organisation actively involved in cooperation with ENCC;
2. To identify a clear need for the learning experience within the organisation;
3. To sign an individual agreement with the partner centre before hosting and sending a BECC participant;
4. To take the responsibility for the preparation and implementation of the exchange: travel, accommodation, coaching, language, involvement, programme etc. and evaluation of a qualitative learning experience;
5. To prepare & support the BECC participants sent and received;
6. To report about the experience to ENCC;
7. To communicate and disseminate the results & outcomes within your network;
8. To explore the possibilities of a long-term partnership with the other organisation

Finances

ENCC offers a financial contribution of 800 € for an each exchange, which will be transferred to the hosting or sending organisation (according to individual agreements between ENCC and sending/hosting organization) to be used for international and local transport, accommodation, programme, catering, costs of the hosted participant.

Milestones

Deadline for submitting application: 31st December 2016

Selection results: 1st February 2017
BECC Seminar: March 2017, exact date and place TBC
Period for realisation of an exchange: 1st April until 30th July 2017

Application

Application is submitted by a staff member who applies for her/his participation in the Programme on behalf of the organization. BECC Programme does not foresee approval of applications from individual persons. Sending means hosting which means that organization agrees to send its staff member and to receive a staff member from another European cultural centre. 

Please use this Application form that must be submitted by 31st December 2016. We will confirm by e-mail the receipt of your application. There is no need to send application by post.

Source:

https://encc.eu/activities/programmes/becc-bridge-between-culture-centres