The Cultural Policy Exchange Workshop of the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme, Cycle 2013

sylwias

08/03/2013

General Approach and Workshop Objectives

The RMCBU1 Cultural Policy Exchange Workshop (the workshop) for public and private cultural actors are designed to meet the expectations of the Programme’s stakeholders and the priority needs of the culture sector of partner countries identified through the Studies and Diagnostics on Cultural Policies of the Eastern Partnership Countries carried out in October 2011 to March 2012.

The Cultural Policy Exchange Workshop will contribute to the achievement of the overall objectives of the EaP Culture Programme (www.euroeastculture.eu):

To support the role of culture in the regions' sustainable development;
To promote regional cooperation among public institutions, national and local; civil society cultural organisations both profit and non-profit; and foundations and academic organizations in the Eastern Partnership region and the EU.

source: http://euroeastculture.eu/en/workshop-projects-eligibility.html

The workshops will address the needs of public institutions and the region's culture sector as identified by the RMCBU through the Regional Research Report on Cultural Policies and Trends of the Eastern Partnership Countries and the Analytical Base-line Reports on the Culture Sector and Cultural Policy of the six EaP countries (see http://euroeastculture.eu/en/database-of-materials.html) and will enhance the EaP Culture Programme’s local ownership and long-term impact.

More specifically the workshop will aim to

Promoting policy reform and modernization at government level (national and local), capacity building of cultural organizations, and ‘professionalization’ of the culture sector in the partner countries;
Contributing to exchange of information, experience, and best practices among culture actors at regional level and with the EU;
Supporting networking of regional initiatives and partnerships, which demonstrate the positive contributions of culture to economic development, social inclusion, conflict resolution, and intercultural dialogue.

The workshop consisting of two cycles (2013 and 2014) is designed as part of a reforming process aiming to change practices and attitudes. The potential and success of such change depends on mutual agreement of all concerned stakeholders on its purposes and expected results and relevant implementation strategies. Therefore the RMCBU proposes to include into the workshop the identification of common strategic interests of the EaP countries, specifically regarding the
improvement of the climate and context of their national cultural development.

It is not planned to provide training targeting cultural management or project management as such as well as technical skills of specific cultural sub-domains (heritage, audiovisual, etc.) although there is an
evident need for it. At the same time, a wide range of relevant aspects of cultural/project management will be affected indirectly in the context of work on strategic projects of the participants.

The training will balance the information provided on best practices and experience of partner countries as well as experience and policy instruments of the EU Member States paying attention to national differences and peculiarities of the EaP countries. The training will address the needs and cooperate with public and private stakeholders of the EaP countries at regional, national and local (municipal) level.

Workshop Method

The workshops will combine delivery of expertise to participants through lectures and its practical application to the workshop projects. The training will offer a possibility to invite additional experts and
practitioners from the hosting country. Each workshop will include a networking session and/or a section open to wider national stakeholders for that purpose.

Workshop Projects

As the main focus of the Workshop Cycle 2013 is on strategy and policy elaboration or strategy and policy assessment, workshop projects have to comply with this main focus. Therefore, eligible
workshop projects consist of draft concepts for culture sector or sub-sector strategies or policies or laws proposed for development through the workshops or such existing documents proposed for
revision and assessment through the workshops, as well as projects on regional cooperation of cultural actors of the EaP countries.

More information on workshop projects can be found at:
http://euroeastculture.eu/en/workshop-projects-eligibility.html
http://euroeastculture.eu/en/selection-procedure.html
http://euroeastculture.eu/en/7-what-kind-of-projects-can-be-submitted-as-workshop-projects.html

It is planned to select up to 10-12 workshop projects for further elaboration. A part of the time will be allocated to work on projects during the three workshops. Between the workshops consultancy will be also provided by the Leading Trainer (by providing written feedback to material on development of the projects) and the RMCBU Capacity Building Expert and Team Leader to enable participants to finalize
their projects.

Trainers

Two categories of trainers – the Leading Trainer and the Topic Trainer – will be mobilized by the RMCBU for each workshop.

The Leading Trainer will work for all three workshops of 2013 to ensure coherent expertise and continuity in providing support for development of the group and individual projects of the participants
within a cycle. The Leading Trainer, in addition to consultancy on projects, will focus on working on development of strategic thinking and providing leadership for participants.

During the workshops, Topic Trainers will provide information, consultancy and tutoring for participants in developing their projects. The Topic Trainers will be hired for each workshop once the
topics are decided on.

Profiles of the trainers will be defined after selecting participants and strategic projects to be developed through the workshop. Following advice of the national stakeholders of the Programme, the RMCBU will involve experts from the EU Member States and the experts from the Eastern Partnership countries.

The RMCBU Key Experts will support and coordinate the work of the trainers and also function as trainers themselves on group work including case studies and elaboration of strategic group/individual
projects.
Working Languages

The training will be carried out in English and Russian languages with simultaneous or consequent interpretation as appropriate. English is considered the main working language of the training.
Translation of main hand-out materials into Russian will be also provided. Russian is used as the second working language of the workshop as widely used common language in the Eastern Partnership countries. Advanced level of English and/or Russian language is included into obligatory conditions for participants of the workshop.

Tentative Thematic Plan and Schedule

The Culture Policy Exchange Workshops will consist of two Workshop Cycles, each composed of three subsequent 3-4-days workshops to be organized in 2013 (Workshop Cycle 1) and 2014
(Workshop Cycle 2). See below the plan for the Workshop Cycle 2013. The plan for the Workshop Cycle 2014 will be elaborated in autumn 2013 taking into account the lessons learnt, the input
received from the Workshop Cycle 2013, as well as the identified new or the updated needs of the culture sector of the EaP countries. For the moment, the workshops in 2014 are planned for February, April and June.

The general approach of both Workshop Cycles, seen as parts of the same capacity building process, can be briefly described as follows. The Workshop Cycle 2013 will be dedicated to strategic thinking
and elaboration and assessment of policies and strategies in view of culture sector reforms. The Workshop Cycle 2014, in turn, will focus on implementation of strategies and policies, working on relevant and specific skills, and identification of common needs and interests of the EaP countries in the field of culture and the elaboration of appropriate common strategies to be shared.

More detailed agendas for each of the workshops will be delivered to participants in due time prior to each workshop based on