European Network of Cultural Centres (ENCC)

Co-Create: Belarus Culture Lub

Fundacja Kut
Poland
IMG_253-(1)
Co-Create: Belarus Culture Lab addresses the gap between our hub’s high initiative and rigid grant structures. With many active residents, traditional long-term planning fails to meet shifting needs. We shift power to the community: for 5 months, participants pitch and vote for 5 events. This ensures 100% relevance. Each winner receives a €300 flexible micro-grant for any costs (fees, materials, etc.). By moving from "top-down" to "bottom-up" programming, we optimize resources and practice real democracy, turning our space into a living lab of civic participation.
Our Poznań hub serves a community displaced by the political crisis in Belarus. This community includes highly skilled professionals, artists, and activists who lost their platforms but retained their expertise. Currently, they run dozens of pro bono events, yet many face burnout. "Co-Create" will shift them to a sustainable, community-led practice. We will reject rigid 12-month calendars, implementing “Liquid Programming” through a 5-month cycle. Residents and activists will present actionable event ideas monthly at the hub during Offline Pitching. The audience will act as a “Board of Directors,” with voting ensuring 100% relevance and preventing investment in events that lack genuine interest. A flexible €300 grant will cover fees, materials, honoraria or logistics. Migrant groups are often “integrated” through external agendas; we will enable them to decide for themselves, building institutional trust. Even unfunded projects will gain visibility and a voice through the pitching process. We will collect a guide on activating migrant communities with minimal budgets. This model will show that community-managed grants are effective and help optimize funding structures.

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