More information
Description
The project aims to contribute to the development of public (cultural) policy based on citizen and civil society participation in the management of local socio-cultural centers as a mechanism that strengthens transparency, reduces corruption and ensures that public resources are managed in the interest of the local community. Through research, analysis and mapping of socio-cultural activities, we ensure the production of knowledge (target group: experts in cultural policies) in the field of innovative cultural management; to government institutions (target group: national, regional and local authorities) we present evidence-based proposal to the legal solution for governing socio-cultural activities and the Code of Good Practice for civic-public partnerships, developed in participatory process; by advocating for change of institutional framework and engaging the public through a public campaign, forums, conference, we are opening a space for public debate for the first time; we provide key actors (target groups: CSOs in culture, media workers) with the preconditions for their influence on changing the socio-political context, and through intergenerational and intercultural knowledge exchange we empower them to recognize the importance and continuity of progressive cultural practices.
Summary of project results
The project was conceived as a response to the lack of recognition of the importance of infrastructure for cultural and social activities in the legislative and institutional framework of the Republic of Croatia. This importance is primarily reflected in its potential for the inclusion of citizens in the cultural and social life of the community and enabling participation in the use and management of this infrastructure. Numerous examples in the Republic of Croatia, from cultural and socio-cultural centers and various spaces for cultural and artistic activity, already fulfill this purpose and realize this potential, and they need support, especially in the context of local initiatives. Therefore, the creation and promotion of the Code of Good Practice for the establishment and functioning of civil-public partnership and the proposal for the Law on Cultural Centers, however much the effects of these documents have yet to be utilized and exploited, laid a good foundation for the further development of these practices in local communities. The code is a reference point, the only one of its kind in the Republic of Croatia, for any civil or public or civil-public initiative that wants to develop a cooperative, partnership relationship in the use and management of public infrastructure, and further to that, and as a possible first step in promoting joint management in other social sectors.
The following activities were carried out: preparation and creation of a comparative analysis of public policies regulating social and cultural activities in the Republic of Croatia and European countries; Creation and publication of author''s texts on the topics of social and cultural activities in Europe; Mapping of local development processes of DKC based on participatory management and civil-public partnership; Drafting of a legal proposal, that is, amending the law; Development of the Code of Good Practice for the Establishment and Functioning of Civil-Public Partnership; Campaign on social networks; Tribunes presenting the Code of Good Practice in local communities; press release; Meeting of the members of the Working Group for drafting a proposal for a legal solution with the Ministry of Culture; Meetings of the newly founded network of social and cultural centers (DKC-HR); Ad hoc advocacy actions in local communities; education, networking, management and advocacy; Strategic and operational planning of the Network of Socio-Cultural Centers;
Study visit to socio-cultural institutions in Europe
In front of numerous decision-makers, we presented the Code of Good Practice for the Establishment and Functioning of Civil-Public Partnerships and the Law on Cultural Centers at a conference in Zagreb, thereby affirming CSOs as equal and credible stakeholders in the formation of evidence-based cultural policy and making the relevant decision-makers aware of the project and expert public on the necessity of changing the legal framework for infrastructure for cultural and social activities and its participatory management. In addition, thanks to the implementation of workshops on intercultural dialogue and intergenerational conversations, the spectrum of topics opened by socio-cultural centers through their work has been expanded and the transfer of knowledge to new users and managers of this infrastructure has been ensured.