Eleusinians citizens design the long-term cultural strategy for their city, within the framework of the international programme “Pilot Cities”
An initiative of the Eleusis ECoC
The Pilot Cities local team, which represents the city of Elefsina as the only Greek city in the homonymous international programme focusing on culture, following an initiative of Eleusis European Capital of Culture, undertook the design of the work plan of the programme, completing thus the 2nd phase. Particularly, the group of residents who act as Cultural Mediators under the supervision of the project expert Clymene Christoforou, drafted a sustainable work plan focusing on three important topics for the city: 1. The city’s cultural policy development, 2. Communication platforms and 3. Capacity building programmes that empower local cultural activity.
More specifically, the work plan addresses the next steps and targeting each of the following areas, as analyzed below:
1. Capacity Building Programme
The Capacity Building Programme will be addressed not only to the city’s cultural professionals
and the local government & municipal institutions, but also to the folklore associations, activists’ groups, local associations and local amateur artists.
The programme aims to strengthen the local cultural production that continues to be based on an amateur level that is empowered by the love and the need of the citizens themselves, through workshops, seminars, speeches, residencies and networking activities with other cultural institutions at national and european level.
2. Communication Platforms
This pilot measure focuses on the creation of a cultural e-platform, integrating it with a web-radio station and a free-press for those who have no access to digital tools. Thus, creating a digital city’s library, highlighting the citizens’ narrations
3. Cultural Policy Development
Τhe existing cultural policy needs to be better tailored to the city. Its vision will be better clarified, taking clearer shape, thus everyone has access to it. The aim is to be benefited through participatory procedures and long term orientation based on Agenda 21 commitments.
Consult the work plan here: https://bit.ly/35maOly
A few words about the programme
With Eleusinians as the driving force of the city and the program, Elefsina is the only Greek city and one of the 16 at European level that participates in the international program Pilot Cities. A program runned by the international organization UCLG-United Cities and Local Governments in collaboration with the European organization Culture Action Europe. The program aims to place culture as the fourth pillar of urban sustainable development along with the economy, the environment and social inclusion, disseminating the principles of Culture 21 agenda by UCLG Committee on Culture.
The Pilot Cities program is developed through 5 successive stages: the self-evaluation, the design of a work plan, its implementation and, finally, the promotion and evaluation of the overall project. The Eleusis team, called Cultural Mediators Group, collaborates with the network of European Pilot Cities for the study of good practices, networking and exchange of experiences, the creation of the goals and values of the team, but also a common vision.
The network of European cities of the program is composed by: Galway, Gebrono, Lisbon, Izmir, Madrid, Namur, Swansea, Terrassa, Timișoara, Leeds, Nova Gorica, Tenerife, Rijeka, Esch-sur Alzette, Eleusis and Eivissa /Ibiza.
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Check out the self-assessment report here: https://bit.ly/3m3PG9x
