Deadline: 20 September 2019
Do you, as an individual from an organisation, local administration or creative enterprise engage in cultural work or community based activities that tackle burning local and regional issues? If yes, then apply for the Tandem Western Balkans programme!
Tandem Western Balkans is a one-year learning by doing programme that enables cultural operators to kick-start long-term regional collaboration in the Western Balkans. The Tandem platform supports social change through strategic cultural action and is envisioned as a space for project initiators to acquire new skills, develop innovative practices and connect to regional networks.
For first edition of Tandem Western Balkans, they are looking for cultural managers, activists, architects or artists, as well as young professionals connected to civil society organisations, public institutions or creative enterprises to apply and participate. Applicants might come from a range of diverse backgrounds, from young, small-scale community activators engaged in collectives to experienced curators working in museums. Potential participants share a strong enthusiasm for peer-to-peer learning beyond their own national borders, sectors, artistic disciplines or generations and find joy in connecting with regional counterparts in inspiring trans-national encounters. By joining Tandem Western Balkans, applicants will be a part of and help build a growing community of deeply engaged cultural, political and social change makers interested in shaping the future of the region in the broader European context.
Benefits
- Participation in a Partner Forum with up to 24 participants from Western Balkans (one applicant per organisation for the whole meeting, plus one colleague for the last two days of the meeting)
- 10 days abroad for a working placement at a new partner organization
- 3 group meetings, including peer-to-peer learning sessions and workshops with experienced trainers on organisational development
- Reimbursement of travel costs and living expenses during project events and placements
- € 3,000 start-up funding for testing a shared pilot collaboration idea
- Expert-facilitated mentoring of pilot collaboration initiatives from inception to completion
- A public showcase event to present the outcomes of all pilot collaboration initiatives
- Access to a growing Tandem alumni network of cultural initiatives across Europe and its neighbourhood
Eligibility Criteria
The program is looking for project initiators (managers, activists, architects, researchers, educators, public servants, entrepreneurs, curators, artists…) representing civil society organisations, public institutions, non-profit initiatives, local administrations or social enterprises who:
- Engage in cultural activities that tackle political, social or economic challenges or reflect on cultural or societal questions locally, regionally and/or beyond;
- Design new constructive formats for engaging people in re-shaping the local environment;
- Explore unconventional ways of working on a small scale while contributing to larger questions of public good;
- Develop creative solutions for sustainable development of their communities, cities or regions that are based on local needs;
- Are highly motivated to extend their cultural work to new working areas and expand their perspective;
- Are interested in finding new structural solutions, strategic development opportunities and alternative financing models for their organisations;
- Are ambitious to engage in strategic and lasting cooperation across national, cultural and mental borders;
- Are early-to-mid career staff members with some decision-making responsibilities and/or senior professionals who are strategically involved with the core mission of their organisation;
- Are socially committed, empathic, highly motivated, dynamic, open-minded personalities;
- Are eager to experiment, ready for structural change, seize new opportunities, and have the courage to take risks and fail forward;
- Have sufficient skills, experience and resources to engage in an intense international learning and reflection process that requires a minimum time investment of 10 working weeks throughout a one-year-long process, and are fluent in English;
- Are based in one of the 6 Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia).
Main programme events include:
- 4-day Tandem Partner Forum in Belgrade, November 12-16, 2019
- 4-day Tandem Partner Forum in Belgrade, November 12-16, 2019
- 3-day kick-off meeting including workshops in Skopje, February 2020
- Self-organised vocational placement at individual Tandem partner locations across the region between December 2019 and October/November 2020
- 3-day interim meeting in Prizren, May 2020
- 3-day final meeting in Sarajevo, October/November 2020
How to Apply
Interested applicants can apply online via the given website.
For more information, please visit https://www.tandemforculture.org/stories/tandem-western-balkans-apply-now/