Against the Tide: Empowering Marginalised Voices through Socio-Culture
What is the role of the cultural sector in the face of the gradual erosion of democratic norms we are witnessing across Europe?
In our depleted societies, where marginalised communities and young generations face growing challenges to meaningful participation in civic life, cultural organisations are called on to serve as catalysts for their agency.
Against the backdrop of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage site, hosted by our member Kulturni centar "Nikola Đurković", we will address these issues and search for meaningful answers together. Through a rich programme spanning panel discussions, workshops, study visits, and moments of networking, let's explore innovative practices promoting inclusion through socio-culture. Let's reflect on how to breathe new life into concepts such as inclusion and democracy, and how to strengthen the capacities of the European socio-cultural sector to promote participation, civic engagement, and social cohesion. The event will also aim to foster new synergies and cooperation among socio-cultural workers from across Europe and beyond, but also between actors from different sectors, in order to foster systemic change.
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Wednesday, September 17th: Opening and setting the scene
09:30-12:30 ENCC Members meeting (ENCC members only)
12:30-14:00 Welcome lunch and registrations
14:00-14:30 Official opening
14:30-16:00 Opening panel: Safe spaces in practice – Moving beyond buzzwords
16:00-16:30 Coffee break
16:30-17:00 Structured networking activity
17:00-18:00 Thematic conversation: Engaging youth - Culture as a trigger for participation, democracy, and resistance
18:00-19:30 Guided tour of Kotor old town (optional)
19:30-21:00 Networking dinner and free time
21:00 onward Cultural event (TBC)
Thursday, September 18th: Learning and exchange
09:00-09:30 Welcome and registrations
09:30-11:00 BOLD Meeting (youth-led session, details TBC)
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-12:45 From reflection to action: workshops by ENCC Members
13:00-15:00 Lunch break and free time
14:00-15:00 Optional cultural visit (art exhibition in the old town)
15:00-16:45 Local case studies roundtable: culture in action
16:45-17:00 Coffee break
17:00-17:30 Inspirational speech
17:30-19:00 Peer roundtables: beyond the sessions
Where do we stand? The role of cultural centres amid the Gaza genocide and other global crises
Towards a Balkan hub: Connecting socio-cultural spaces across the region
Democracy at risk: Resisting nationalism, populism and polarisation
Building strategic partnerships for systemic change
19:00-20:30 Free time and dinner
20:30 onward Concert
Friday, September 19th: Co-creation and conclusions
09:00-09:15 Welcome and slow start
09:15-10:45 Laboratories
Re-thinking collective, democratic creativity – A collaborative lab contributing to the INTRACOMP intercultural and transcultural competency framework
Beyond borders: Amplifying non-EU voices in European cultural networks
11:00-12:30 Closing panel: From safe spaces to bold futures – Culture and creativity for systemic change
12:45-13:45 Quick Lunch
14:00-17:00 Optional farewell boat tour and departures