CREATIVE THINKING – the Project

Europe’s potential lies in its steadily growing cultural diversity. In order to exploit this potential, innovative approaches for dealing with diversity are required in all areas of life.

The goal of this project set in the delicate balance between the arts, new media, education, the social environment and the community is – via creative cross-border interaction – to enable as many young people and adults as possible in 24 European countries to develop and actively experience innovative concepts to promote intercultural dialogue.

The project networks and focuses and is at the same time a motor for cross-border school projects, workshops with artists, for the exchange of knowledge between schools and the community and for local and regional events (e.g. “The long night of intercultural dialogue” in museums) and many other things. Experiencing and reflecting on linguistic, social and cultural diversity together is at the heart of all the project activities. The activities promote and creatively implement an awareness for the enrichment of different perspectives through dialogue.

The approximately 1,500 direct participants are young people between the ages of 15 and 20, parents, teachers, education authorities, regional and local authorities, experts, representatives of cultural institutions, artists and migrants’ organisations. Alongside of 19 EU Member States, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia and Turkey are also participating. The inclusion of the countries of the Western Balkans is an important contribution to the EU integration process. Intensive cooperation is taking place with the Slovenian EU Presidency, particularly with regard to the holding of the participative youth meeting in May 2008 as well as with the Austrian Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture.

The project builds on existing networks and initiatives in the areas of the arts, culture and education, extends them and will lead to follow-up activities of the EU Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009

A cross-sectoral approach was chosen in order to create synergies which ensure sustainability as well as a perspective for follow-ups by linking education, culture and the informal youth sector.

CREATIVE THINKING is taking place in two phases:

1. Theme projects from 2007: includes projects with coordinated concepts and already fixed partnerships between schools, cultural institutions, NGOs and authorities. These umbrella projects are already beginning in 2007 and will continue for several years in 5 countries, including the countries of the Western Balkans, Finland and Russia. The projects focus on intercultural dialogue, innovation and creativity and provide valuable experience, know-how and results.
2. Open Call Projects from 2008: approximately 12 new cross-border school project teams will be established in all EU Member States and together with artists will draw up innovative concepts for dealing with cultural diversity.
   

The main activities include:

• 2007: Development of new cross-border teams for the open call projects and start of the theme projects
• January 2008: Kick-off event in Vienna with 100 young people from the open call projects, at which topics will be selected and projects planned
• January-May 2008: Intensive working phase for the development and implementation of the joint cross-border school projects in 24 countries
• May 2008: Dialoguing youth event in Graz/Seggauberg in Austria and in Maribor/Slovenia: exchange of experiences and project presentations by the teams, special cultural education projects in the “Long night of intercultural dialogue in Graz’s museums” for 300 young people and adults, guided tours through Maribor with young Slovenians as buddies (social learning) and a panel discussion and World Café with politicians, artists and businesspeople
• Autumn 2008: Documentation, preparation and strategy development for the year 2009 “Innovation and Creativity”

Cooperation and exchanges between the project participants mainly takes place via activities (blogs, e-voting) on the website – this is a working medium of the project which facilitates dialogue and the exchange of experiences and information.

The deployment of artistic methods promotes competence in intercultural activities and strengthens the abilities and courage of (young) people to pursue new paths in the management of cultural diversity. The methods used also aim to strengthen the key competences: in particular intercultural and social competences, learning competences and computer skills.

The diversity of the participating players creates a snowball effect and enables the contents and results of the project to be disseminated into large sectors of society. In addition, media presence and attention will be ensured via targeted dissemination activities for the project results in cooperation with the partners, multilingual project readers, and media and publicity work in all 24 countries at national, regional and local levels.