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 aims to create these publicly accessible models so as to facilitate collaboration between diverse actors, and in parallel, to define the potential of culture in the successor of the 2030 SDGs, sharing the insights across the CCIs through creative advocacy media. It also aims to extend the discussion on culture’s role in the SDGs, to better understand the opportunity for culture to feature as an explicit goal or as an implicit transversal actor, within the post-2030 framework on sustainable development.
The project offers selected participants a stimulating online programme with fresh perspectives on creative cross-sectoral collaborations for sustainable development, followed by a five-day in-person residency programme for the to exchange and brainstorm on collaboration models.
The programme will host 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.
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).
The online sessions will be conducted on Zoom and the in-person residency programme will take place in Istanbul, Turkey (Covid-19 and other travel restrictions permitting).
The Culture and Sustainability Lab will book and pay for travel to and from Istanbul, accommodation from 11-16 September and any other incidental expenses during the programme. Participants may incur some costs based on the Covid-19 regulations, if unvaccinated.
