Revitalizing villages through creative activities

Name of the project:

Revitalizing villages through creative activities

Operational programme:

Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation

Priority:

Access to Arts and Culture Improved

Name of procedure:

Second call for project proposals under Outcome 2 “Access to Arts and Culture Improved”

Deadline:

19 months

Short description of the project

The project proposal develops a series of solutions to serious social problems of the villages, such as social and cultural isolation, through a number of specific cultural activities, consistent with the needs of local people, which improve the access to culture of these discriminated groups. The project activities include: realization of cultural-artistic residencies and organization of cultural-artistic events in 6 remote villages in Northwestern Bulgaria, in which the local population will have the opportunity to interact with young creative people and through the means of art to overcome the identified problems. Ideas Factory Association is an initiator of the project and has more than 10 years of experience developing different initiatives, related to social and cultural entrepreneurship in rural and peripheral regions. Some of them are Baba Residence, Social Innovation Challenge and EMPATHEAST. The current project proposal develops a brand new initiative, whose idea is to build upon the achievements of Baba Residence project, which has been to 14 villages so far, by purposeful actions answering the needs of local dwellers through the access to diverse cultural events. The selected villages, part of the most rapidly depopulating region in Bulgaria - Northwestern - will turn into attractive places for young and creative people, who will devote their time, energy and creative potential to enliven them and turn them into inspiring, joyful areas, where people communicate and share common values. The project partners are: Vidin Fund Chitalishta, Vratsa municipality and the Icelandic cultural organization Gullkistan.