Call for Ideas !
Please submit an idea that fosters the Europe we believe in: a Europe of solidarity and openness, shaped and nurtured by people.
We are living and working in an increasingly complex environment. Across Europe and its neighbouring countries, more and more people are confronted with discrimination and exclusion on a daily basis – whether economically, politically or culturally. As a result, societies are becoming increasingly fragmented, extremism is on the rise, and the divisions between people – and between individuals and institutions – are growing ever wider.
Migration, distrust towards traditional institutions and the widening gap between the idea of a democratic Europe and the reality of a divided continent are among the biggest challenges that we are facing at present. These challenges are not new, but they have reached a degree that directly affects existing systems and policies, both at national and European levels.
Living with a constant flow of images and information that sustains a ‘permanent state of emergency’, we often adopt defeat, the feeling that there’s-nothing-to-be-done. However, in this worrying situation, it is heartening to see citizens gathering together and taking action: countless bottom-up local, national, and transnational initiatives are enthusiastically showing that there-is-something-to-be-done, and that a more democratic, inclusive, egalitarian, and caring society is not only desired but possible.
In this continent of rapidly changing communities, building bridges to help us live alongside each other is an urgent imperative. We need to reinvent and jointly value our present and develop our future together. We need to recreate shared common values and foster open and inclusive communities and societies – with a focus on social justice and human rights.
Co-hosted by Platoniq in Spain, ECF’s third Idea Camp will take place from 1 to 3 March 2017. Following local elections in May 2015, which have seen several major cities and smaller towns now governed by citizen lists of candidates, Spain is on track to reinvent itself amidst a hive of social, cultural, and political activism. The many exciting new challenges this hive of activity has raised include a more inclusive and participatory society, ‘a home for all’. Although not free from contradictions, there are many tangible examples across different sectors (cultural, political, economical and social) that interweave inspiring institutional and grassroots actions. The myriad of different cross-sectoral practices in Spain constitute a resourceful laboratory for sharing and highlighting ways in which communities can promote change in Europe.
Organized in collaboration with Platoniq, Idea Camp will be held from 1 to 3 March 2017 in Spain and will bring together 50 participants whose innovative ideas demonstrate a firm commitment to encourage political imagination, encourage building links and contribute to the development a society based on the principle of social justice. Based on shared values, inclusion and openness, Idea Camp offers participants a unique opportunity to meet peers from all over Europe and its neighboring countries, whose practices are different carrier chatted.
Following the call for ideas, 50 participants are selected on criteria. ECF cover for the duration of the Idea Camp, the cost of travel and living in Spain a representative for each idea.
After the Idea Camp, participants will be invited to submit a concrete proposal for research or implementation of their idea. 25 proposals will be selected and will receive a fellowship and development to a maximum of € 10,000.
Initiated in 2014, Idea Camp is organized within the framework of “Connected Action for the Commons”, an action and research program developed by ECF in collaboration with six cultural organization established in Europe: Culture 2 Commons (Croatia), Les Têtes de l’Art (France), KrytykaPolityczna (Poland), Oberliht (Moldavia), Platoniq – Goteo (Spain) et Subtopia (Sweden).
To submit your idea, please fill in the application form here: http://www.culturalfoundation.eu/idea-camp-call/