Deadline: June 26, 2022.

Culture and the SDGs is an experimental project that sits somewhere between an action research, capacity-building training, and a creative residency. At one end, it seeks to raise awareness about the UN SDG framework within the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) and highlight the inherent interlinkages between culture and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs,) while at the other end simultaneously encouraging professionals from other sectors (such as education, environment, and policy) to engage more actively with the culture sector. It wishes to provide a space for developing open collaboration models for inclusive sustainable development that draw from creativity and cultural expression, as much as from sectoral expertise in combatting the world’s most pressing problems. 

The project emerges from the belief that the knowledge of the SDGs within the CCIs is often scattered and limited to the practice of specific sectors, and requires wider awareness raising. Another gap in the conversation the project aims to address is the limited sensitization of the other sectors on the potential of arts and culture in contributing to their activities in achieving the SDGs. To address these challenges and make the presence of culture explicit in the sustainable development context as opposed to its current implicit role, concerted efforts and interdisciplinary collaborations are required both at the policy and the grass-root levels.

PROJECT DETAILS

The online sessions will take place between late August and early September. The in-person residency programme will be held between Monday, 12 September 2022 and Friday, 16 September 2022 (arrival on Sunday, 11 September 2022 and departure on Friday, 16 September 2022 in the afternoon/evening).

ELIGIBILITY

Eight CCI professionals and eight professionals from other sectors (such as education, environment, and policy), who have geared their practice towards sustainable development. The participants must be:

• emerging or mid-career professionals, aged between 25 and 40 years old at the time of application
• professionals in the CCIs or preferably be working in the sectors of education, environment, or policy (participants from other sectors of work are welcome to apply)
• familiar with the UN Sustainable Development framework
• actively engaged in activities contributing to the SDGs, and must have either implemented a related project in the past, or propose a new project for implementation, ensuring cross-sectoral collaborations
• open and willing to address contrasting ideas and challenge traditional forms of collaboration, to develop the frameworks of creative collaboration models, combining diverse viewpoints and bridging sectors
• professionally proficient in English, as the activities of the project will be conducted entirely in English
• able to commit fully to the online sessions (2-3 sessions, up to 3 hours/day) and the in-person programme (full day) of the project.

BENEFITS

The Culture and Sustainability Lab will book and pay for travel to and from Istanbul, accommodation from 11 to 16 September and any other incidental expenses during the programme. Participants may incur some costs based on the Covid-19 regulations, if unvaccinated.

APPLICATION

1. Fill in the application form by 26 June 2022, 23:59 Central European Time. The project welcomes participants of all nationalities.
2. You will be asked to explain your motivations for applying and upload your CV. The application form must be completed in English.

OFFICIAL LINK