Although the question seems like a banal one, contemporary cultural industry initiatives, entrepreneurial sector and creative industries all seem to try to connect with the citizens and tap into their ideas and creative potential. Just as our Arts and Humanities Entrepreneurship Hubs strive to foster innovation through collaboration and arts and humanities student training, Rijeka’s RiHub does that though several modules.
One of the most recognizable ones is the continuous education programme “Learning to strengthen the community” under a motto “Active Citizens in an Active City”. The programme consists of series of workshops, seminars, panels and training sessions focused on different aspects of community building.
Specific goals that the ECoC programme state are:
- Reanimation of relationship between local government boards with the citizens
- Supporting the informal green groups in developing their activities
- Encouraging the existing NGO’s in active involvement in the community
- Stimulating the artists in the processes connected with social change
- Stimulating the participation of students and teachers from elementary schools all the way to universities
Project leader is Sherif Rushdy with MA in systems science and international development with 40 years of experience in the aforementioned topics. Some of the topics that were discussed in the workshops during 2019 are:
- Personal and social transformation for the community building
- Group decision making
- Increased participation and the change of behavior though art
- Structure and efficiency of community groups
- Networking and partnership
- Monitoring, evaluation, learning and adapting
Those panoptic and all-encompassing themes seem to be one of the more successful routes to viable education outside the university spectrum: one that provides the basic and advanced concepts in entrepreneurship and creative industries, but also displays the need for practical and example oriented approach to training.
Boris Ružić
You can also read Coworking, creative and administrative center RiHub