Developing a community of practice for emergent cultural and creative leaders to support innovation and sustainable development
The aim of the programme is to seek out creative practitioners and cultural pioneers who are exploring the frontiers between culture, enterprise, social development and technology and are specifically involved or interested in the creation of co-working and collaboration spaces. The programme will connect them to experiences, opportunities and expertise from the UK and Europe within from within their own communities.
Throughout the world, the creative and cultural sector is growing in complexity and importance. The sector has a unique and vital socio-economic role to play in rapidly-changing and unstable times.
“We humans learn best when in relationship with others who share a common practice. We self-organize as communities with those who have skills and knowledge that are important to us…A major act of leadership right now, call it a radical act, is to create the places and processes so people can actually learn together, using our experiences”
Margaret Wheatley
What is ‘Made by Many’?
The programme has been created following a regional pilot in 2012/13 and a review of the learning from that pilot with the Ford Foundation. and it seeks to:
- Identify and support emerging creative practitioners and cultural pioneers who are exploring the frontiers between culture, enterprise, social development and technology and are specifically involved or interested in the creation of co-working and collaboration spaces.
- Establish and Develop Creative Hubs as spaces, networks and collaborations for creative and cultural innovators working to support community development. This will be reflected both in the shape and content of the offer and also in the selection criteria and therefore profile of participants.
- Create a network of Creative Hubs in the region – and connect it with practice and policy-makers from the Middle East and the UK.
- and connect it with existing groups of creative entrepreneurs, cultural innovators and policy-makers from the Middle East and the UK.
- Raise awareness of key issues affecting the cultural sector, and stimulate critical thought and new sustainable practises and projects.
- Strengthen the influence and position of the cultural sector cross-sectorally and regionally as a key social agent.
What does the programme involve?
The British Council is looking for a small number of entrepreneurs, emergent leaders and innovators working in the Middle East to take part in this new programme. We will support the group through six key development stages including :
- A Residency Lab (in Cairo 27th – 31st October) offering the opportunity to build skills and networks and to seed innovation. Specialists from the region and from Europe will help explore existing models of co-working and use a magazine format to map and explore the infrastructure that supports Hubs.
- Follow-up consultancy in-situ from one of the programme Specialist to support Hub development.
- Support to share ideas with key international and regional policy-makers and established sector leaders.
Who?
We are looking for emergent creative practitioners and innovators from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and with the following characteristics:
- Ability to demonstrate active participation in co-working and collaboration building.
- Involvement in initiatives that are engaging directly with communities and promoting diverse and engaged societies
- Participation in existing/emergingco-working/mutual support hubs (spaces, networks or collaborations).
- Involvement in creative forms of social enterprise that support community development.