Lights On 2022: Innovation and Community Development

The focus of the 2022 edition of Lights On is Innovation and Community Development.

We made a call for those who feel the urge to bring new qualities and values to their communities, so affected by the consequences of Covid-19. We asked to hear from junior cultural operators to whom culture matters. We believe cultural centres can be drivers for community change and territorial development and the role of cultural operators is crucial. 

This year, Lights On will offer 11 selected young professionals a funded training and mobility experience around the topic of Change for Innovation and Community Development. The multilayered programme will be focused on tools that can support our fellows in these challenges, with a view to finding solutions that will resonate within their organisations and communities.

We will experiment with creative ways for community development and rethink together the role of each organisation. On an individual level, the fellows will learn how to take themselves and their needs into account in difficult professional situations, and how to best translate their talents and competencies into satisfying results as cultural operators in a challenging context. The cultural management training will be enriched with soft skills coaching.

Lights On 2022 will experiment with many formats, both digital and live: experiential learning, self-directed learning, study visits, discussions, group and individual work, theory vs. practice, and democratic moderation.

Beyond the cultural management and soft skills training, the fundamental aim of the programme is for its alumni to become part of a supportive community of European cultural practitioners who exchange experiences, learn together and establish friendships and cooperation.

This edition includes preparatory online training; individual preparatory work; a 5-day live meeting in Irun (Basque Country, Spain); a 7-day exchange with another cultural organisation, and an online evaluation meeting.

Discover more about the Lights On programme here