Rivers2Communities - Reviving identity of river communities within the lnterreg - IPA Cross-border C
The R2C project's main objective is to further strengthen our connection with nature using contemporary cultural and creative scenes of Hungary and Serbia and our mutual cultural identity represented in the rivers. Historically, rivers are not only a main source and center of life, but carriers of meaning for human interaction. This project will bring the rivers and their use in the focus, and involve a local society in creating platforms and interventions in the settlements of both countries.
Cross-border/international
Hungary
Serbia
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
IPA : Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance
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No
Yes
2023-01-31
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Association Kulturanova Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Milan Last name of representative: Vračar Gender: Male Nationality: Serbia Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Preradovićeva 123/231 Town: Novi Sad Postal code: 21132 Petrovaradin Country: Serbia Direct Tel:+381 64 1814539 E-mail:info@kulturanova.org Website:https://www.kulturanova.org/index.php/sr/
Trough the course of 2 years we have worked closely with our partners from Hungary with the focus on nature and communities around them. We had training sessions, transnational meetings and artistic residencies. Trough all of these activities we were focused on our main objective to further strengthen our connection with nature using contemporary cultural and creative scenes of Hungary and Serbia and cooperation among the societies, citizens in the bordering region by focusing on our mutual cultural identity represented in the rivers and their importance to the society . Historically, rivers are not only a main source and center of life, but carriers of meaning for human interaction. This project has broth the rivers and their use in to focus, creating cultural events and physical installations on the banks of the rivers in Hungary and Serbia, as a tool to attract people and strengthen their connections to the rivers. The focus of our work was the identity of Tisza and Danube.
community
rivers
nature
border free
sustainable
The sustainability of the project can be seen in the set up of long-term partnerships between the participating stakeholders who come from NGOs and non-formal artistic groups, who already worked together. By involvement of new partners and associated partners and set up of a network of cultural operators, generating common Serbian- Hungarian projects we can capitalize project results and invite those stakeholders to take part in next project phases. It is also important to say that most of the partners already cooperated successfully on similar Interreg IPA CBC project and that this project is a proof of already established cooperation.
Our goal was to re-animate cultural connections which were very intensive and lively twenty years ago and bring them to the next level making connections between new generation of cultural actors.
The key goals of our project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people can be seen through the design of all the final installations and events that took place in both countries, Hungary and Serbia. Focus was on environmentally friendly means, materials and topics, our love and connection to the rivers. Also, all the materials used in the actual production of the installations next to the rivers were eco-friendly, such as eco boards made of recycled pressed paper, recycled fabrics. The messages behind all the activities were connection, sustainability, culture and ecology.
By involving a local society, NGOs, civil groups and citizens to join and participate in the aspect of planing, organizing and execution we gave them a sense of belonging, importance and power, which we believe are the key in creating a healthier society. The workshops we organized had their focus on working together, inclusion, eco awareness and all the activities were free and bilingual. We believe that working closely with our Hungarian partners we stimulated breaking down cultural boarders in our society. By giving equal opportunities to Hungarian and Serbian citizens we invoke more compassion and understanding between these two nationality groups in our city.
We involved civil groups, NGO and local organisations that work in the field of ecology, community work, have their focus on the cultural preservation and helped them to connect and strengthen their involvement in the current issues. We all worked on finding the best locations along the river side that were already used by the local community but have potential to involve more citizens and give space for broader use. We then guided them trough the methodology we learned on our training in Szeged, Hungary. Together we came up with ideas for installations,concrete solutions and workshops we wanted to do. We believe that citizens and civil society benefited from being involved in the whole process, from planing and decision making around organizing the residency and realisation of the workshops, to being part of building the installations along river bank and connecting among each other. This all gave each and every participiant a sense of belonging , responsibility, caring and social awareness. Strengthening the connections between everyone involved provided numerous benefits for future collaborations.
Our long-term partners and participating stakeholders from NGOs and non-formal artistic groups from Hungary worked together with our team . Stakeholders engaged trough communicating, influencing, negotiating with the focus on broader objectives of satisfying the needs of the project through gaining the approval and support of new stakeholders from local groups. Stakeholders aimed to identify people, organizations or groups who may be either positively or negatively affected by the project . In addition to identifying those affected by the particular project, stakeholder also seeks to identify those who might affect the ability to complete the project and who generate impacts, either positive or negative.
We worked in the fields of ecology, community work, cultural exchange, art and cultural heritage. Trough trainings, workshops and transnational meeting we all worked to set up a network of cultural operators, generating common Serbian- Hungarian projects that focus on the cultural preservation, preservation of nature and strengthen their involvement in the current issues.
Development and preservation of old crafts, increased awareness in the community on the topic of ecology and the preservation of natural resources, increased community bonding, cleaner spaces. We believe stimulation of society to express itself, share, and take care of the spaces in which it resides, eco-education, stimulation of engagement. Main benefits of the project are raised awareness of ecological issues in the society. Strengthen connections between local groups , NGOs and common citizens. Culturally softer borders between Serbia and Hungary
We attempted to understand the impact of key team characteristics on the collaborative dynamics within the groups we involved in the project. Evidence-based project management is defined as the ability to respond to new problems by adapting prescriptive knowledge from previous experience. We implemented this innovative model into our practice. Motivating team members to make the most of what they know has worked in the past. Our project served both research and practice, drawing as much instruction as possible from “field-tested” rules, but anticipating the necessity of innovative adaptation to the unique conditions of the environment highlighted trough the project
The project combined different instruments within the overall methodological approach:
Educational & networking activities: Gathering a group of people for the purpose of capacity building and learning is a perfect opportunity for effective networking and exchange of ideas. Training in Hungary and Final conferences in both countries as well as 4 Showcasings/local festivals and 4 Culture events merged these two components.
Promotional activities: a) promo-events as concerts, film screenings and performances organized according to highest professional standards to promote works of young scenes (4); b) comprehensive marketing campaign encompassing digital campaign, PR, production & distribution of printed materials, branding and video-production.
Project management activities: The most important detail for the successful implementation is making sure that the partners communicate well and address the challenges in a timely manner. For these purposes, we ensured strong project management of the action, accompanied by frequent coordination between partners and building of partnership relations.
Community activities In 4 settlements the project initiates a common creation between international artists and the local community. This created belonging and ownership not only in the involved professionals but also the local community to the output of the project.
All the work involved in this project can easily be replicated and transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. The Community planing methodology we learned is very adaptable and can be versatilely used for development of different initiatives and projects. Through simple exercises, the whole team/community can think and develop their ideas together. The focus was on the utility of the space. Through number of exercise, the participants learned how to quickly and easily observe and draw conclusions about how the spaces are being used and for which activities it is still suitable.
When addressing the ecological issues, most of our attention and resources are going to national and intergovernmental institutions. However, relying solely on these large institutions comes at the risk of changes not being implemented at the pace necessary to really see some improvement in the society. Rather than waiting for national action, there are interventions that local communities can take today. Involving the local society it self in the project, stimulating them to think and make decisions, engaging them by giving them opportunities to change their environment for the better we believe gives people positive reinforcement. This can further lead to personal initiatives and local actions. We believe local, community-scale initiatives are critical to trigger the global transformation.
