Dissemination and communication strategy outline and key message

"CULTURE UP – Capacity building of Cultural Institutions and Local Authorities in non–urban and peripheral areas" project sets out to share and exchange knowledge and practices of cultural development across the public, private and civil sector in five European non–urban and peripheral areas.
The project includes five European partners that have been engaged in former, coming or aspiring European Capitals of Culture (ECOC), both as host city or as neighboring cultural institutions and local authorities in the region, working with diverse age groups of children, youth and adults.

The project partners more specifically represents: Tampere 2026/Finland, Novi Sad 2021/Serbia, Galway 2020/Ireland, Leeuwarden 2018/The Netherlands and Aarhus 2017/Denmark.

The goal is to build capacity on best-conducted practices and transfer experiences, knowledge and know-how through European networking amongst cultural institutions, civil society organisations and local authorities working in the cultural field in non-urban and peripheral areas, Through the diverse experiences, strategies, learning and perspectives from an artistic, cultural, institutional and local authority level, all lead and associated partners will work towards exchanging and developing an outline strategy with a European partnership mind-set and values.
Setting an active future plan that functions as an institutionalized new learning model of operation, and a catalyst for sustainable cultural development in non–urban areas. Thus bridging technical and know how inequality of opportunities in these peripheral areas.

The project CULTURE UP has clearly set out an easy to use dissemination plan during the project period, aiming at showing a holistic view on rural and cultural development work, in order to enhance rural policies and motivate cultural players in rural areas, thus up scaling qualifications and performance quality.

Main objective: Exchange of Good Practices 

• To raise awareness on the importance of cultural development in rural areas
• To engage stakeholders and target groups based in rural areas
• To share solutions and know how with project teams for European Capitals of Culture

Results, lessons learnt, outcomes and findings will be communicated beyond the participating organisations.
All programs, outline strategy, presentations, reports, reflections, recommendations, and minutes of meetings, as well as scheduling and planning templates will be archived digitally and stored for further use in operation after being disseminated as per the below plan. 

Direct dissemination:

• Continuous updates on new knowledge and learning amongst project stakeholders and their work milieu
• To create a sense of ownership of the project and the knowledge-outcome.
• To create a sense of ownership of the project to secure the project’s continued existence in a local context. 

Indirect dissemination:

• To show the value of cultural activities in rural areas and secure a sense of belongingness to the local area.
• Acknowledgement and knowledge of new ways to support cultural development in rural areas. This can support cultural policies in rural areas and show the value of European cooperation projects.
• Raise awareness of new ways to support cultural development in rural areas in Europe. This can support cultural policies in rural areas and show the value of European cooperation projects.

Exchange and knowledge sharing

• The CULTURE UP project supports the exchange & sharing of knowledge amongst cultural organisations working in non-urban areas
• The CULTURE UP project builds capacity at both artistic and institutional and local authority level.
• The CULTURE UP project explores best practices, participatory and bottom-up approaches, peer-to-peer methodology of hands on training.

Create awareness

• The CULTURE UP Project aims to create awareness of cultural development on two levels, both within local creative communities, and to the wider public.
• The CULTURE UP project supports existing initiatives to develop sustainable practices and growth.
• The CULTURE UP project aims to map and connect on going local and regional cultural initiatives in non-urban areas.

 European partnerships

• The CULTURE UP project offers smaller cultural institutions in non-urban areas opportunities to experience European cultural partnerships and projects through the project activities.
• The CULTURE UP project promotes European projects and partnerships to smaller cultural institutions in non-urban areas.
• The CULTURE UP project demonstrates the value of European projects as a potential path for innovative development and solutions to local challenges.

Outline Strategy

• The CULTURE UP project aims to create a strategy to integrate European projects into the processes and operations of cultural organisations in non-urban areas.
• The CULTURE UP project will map relevant opportunities for European partnerships and projects.