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Cultural Activities and Urban Development on the Agenda when the Program “Actors of Urban Change” Organized by the Robert Bosch Stiftung Takes Place

Dedicated Participants From All Over Europe Exchange Ideas About Urban Development

January 25th, 2016
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The program “Actors of Urban Change” is once again taking place in Europe, organized by the Robert Bosch Stiftung in cooperation with MitOst e.V. By supporting a collaboration between actors from the cultural sphere, public administration, and the private sector, the project aims to achieve sustainable and participatory urban development. Berlin is one of the cities that are involved in the project and hosted the kick-off meeting that took place in December 2015, which gathered selected teams of participants from all over Europe. The program was launched for the first time in 2013-2015 as a pilot project, the second one started in December 2015 and will run until May 2017.

The program aims to attract people who are interested in cross-sector collaboration through cultural projects and international exchange. Through cultural activities the participants are addressing aspects of urban or community development within their city. One of the social issues that was discussed during the kick-off meeting in Berlin was housing for refugees. The mayor of the Berlin district of Mitte, Peter Hanke, together with members of different urban initiatives presented the idea of turning a deserted building in central Berlin into studios for artists as well as into accommodation for refugees.

The program also enables exchanges between countries since the participants will have the opportunity to participate in lectures, workshops and field trips, as well as to do a 10 day internship in different European cities, thereby gaining new perspectives as well as networking opportunities. Through combining competencies, experiences and backgrounds the project aims to create positive changes that will last. It also promotes intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, social inclusion and innovation by linking culture to creativity, heritage, knowledge and diversity.

The Robert Bosch Stiftung is one of the leading private charitable institutions in Europe, it was founded in 1964 and works within the fields of international relations, health, science, education, society and culture. The program “Actors for Urban Change” is only one of the several projects on their agenda for 2016. The foundation represents the endeavors of Mr Robert Bosch, the engineer and inventor who founded the company Robert Bosch which is one of Germanys largest companies. In 2014, the Robert Bosch Stiftung established the Robert Bosch Academy, which is a Berlin-based multidisciplinary institution that invites distinguished public intellectuals and thinkers from all over the world.

 

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News from Berlin
Hanna Lindholm, Berlin Global