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Culture Action Europe made a big commitment to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue when it initiated the Civil Society Platform for Intercultural Dialogue together with the European Cultural Foundation two years ago. Our endeavour to reach out from the arts and create Europe-wide links with other sectors has been ambitious. To compare and coalesce intercultural dialogue practice from many domains has sometimes been testing, but is now bearing fruit. We present you with the “Rainbow Paper: Intercultural Dialogue – from practice to policy and back” through this special single–issue edition of our newsletter. Have a look, lend your support – it counts in the political work that remains to be done!
Those of you who will join us at our 16th Annual Conference in Marseilles, will also have the opportunity to discuss the Rainbow Paper there, to hear about the future of the just formally established Platform for Intercultural Europe, and to explore how the arts-based organisations in the Culture Action Europe fold might continue or enhance their involvement.
As we move from one European Year to the next, and public attention shifts from Intercultural Dialogue to Creativity & Innovation, the truly committed will separate from the temporarily interested. Constructive engagement with cultural diversity clearly remains a key challenge for our societies; and the arguments of the arts about their contribution to Intercultural Dialogue leave scope for refinement.
Sabine Frank
Deputy Secretary General
and Coordinator of the Platform for Intercultural Europe
www.intercultural-europe.org
Platform for intercultural Europe
“Rainbow Paper: Intercultural Dialogue – from practice to policy and back”
Add your signature and give the Rainbow Paper (available in English, French and German) political impact!
Endorse it on: http://rainbowpaper.labforculture.org
It proposes a 5-step path from intercultural challenges to interculturalism and makes 5 sets of recommendations: on educating and building institutional capacity for Intercultural Dialogue, on monitoring for sustained policies, mobilising across boundaries, and resourcing of Intercultural Dialogue.
The role of the arts in Intercultural Dialogue makes a strong show in the paper under recommendations on informal education: The contribution of artists, the effect of works of art and the participatory processes which the arts can enable are all highlighted.
Hundreds of views from many sectors have come together in this paper. Many of you have participated, so crown the process and endorse the outcome:
You can do so as an individual – a very welcome first step, and on behalf of your organisation when so authorised. We hope for lots of organisational endorsement in particular – make it happen!
LabforCulture has designed an easy endorsement process – give it a try. Please also help spread the word about the Rainbow Paper through your own communication tools.
Coming up: Platform Members’ Meeting on 11th November in Stockholm
By giving the Rainbow Paper your explicit support, you or your organisations become eligible for formal membership of the Platform. We have just signed the act of establishment for the “Platform for Intercultural Europe”. As an association, the Platform will be able to assume its assigned role as a “Structured Dialogue” partner of the EU institutions fully. The first meeting of members, including potential ones, will take place on 11th November in Stockholm (13-18h). The Platform’s work plan for 2009 will be a key agenda point.
The Meeting will take place in conjunction with the Nordic Conference on Intercultural Dialogue, Stockholm, 12-13 November, organised by the Swedish Ministry of Culture. Participants of our Platform meeting are welcome to stay on.
Culture Action Europe is supported by the European Commission's Culture Programme and the European Cultural Foundation:
This publication reflects the views of Culture Action Europe and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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