Culture, social cohesion and citizen engagement are an integral part of regional development
The UCORD project priority “Culture, Social Cohesion and Citizen Engagement” is aimed at building social cohesion through culture, dialogue and creative industries.
Culture is a way of expanding human opportunities and, as a result, a driver of change in the world. Therefore, it is impossible to consider development without the influence of culture on it. That is why the Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development project, UCORD along with components to support coherent regional development, improve public services in the water supply, sanitation and waste management sectors, has a component aimed at building social cohesion through culture, dialogue and creative industries.
Working on this direction, UCORD aims to change the perception of the power and importance of culture. To show that culture is not only about leisure, but also about economic development through cultural heritage, tourism and creative industries.
The approach of the project in the implementation of this direction at different levels:
At the local level
Support for projects in the field of culture and creative industries through the Renaissance Clusters grant program.
Regional level
Promoting dialogue taking into account cultural and conflict specificities and social cohesion, the advocacy role and place of culture in regional development through the holding of cultural forums and a number of studies on the state of culture and social cohesion in the pilot regions of the project.
National level
Meaningful integration of culture into program documents.
Cultural forums – platforms for dialogue and networking among participants in the cultural and creative industries
One of the tools for achieving the specific practical results of the project is regional cultural forums, each of which has its own unique theme. The goal of the forums is to create a platform for dialogue on the challenges, opportunities and tools for increasing the contribution of culture and creative industries to regional development and social cohesion. In addition, the forums are a space for meaningful dialogue between cultural actors and authorities for the development and promotion of cultural services in the pilot regions.
Each of the forums is organized by the UCORD project in close partnership with the regional development agencies of the partner regions, as well as the state military administrations and regional councils of these regions.
In 2024, the UCORD project held cultural forums in Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi regions. The next series of cultural forums, which will be held in Odessa, Volyn and Sumy regions, is planned for 2025. More about the UCORD cultural forums on the “Cultural forums” page.
“Renaissance Clusters” is a grant program of the UCORD project aimed at supporting cultural initiatives to stimulate regional development
The Renaissance Clusters grant program is implemented within the framework of the priority “Culture, Social Cohesion and Citizen Engagement” and aims to support project partnerships in the six partner regions of the project. Its main goal is to create cultural and cultural-tourism clusters that will demonstrate the contribution of culture to regional development. Through these clusters, the program seeks to support the development of sustainable partnerships that create added value for the local economy, improve human capital development and strengthen social cohesion.
Analysis of the state of culture and social cohesion in the project’s partner regions
The UCORD project, in partnership with regional development agencies of partner regions, is conducting an analysis of the state of culture and social cohesion, resulting in a series of analytical reports aimed at determining the current state of the cultural spheres, creative industries, and social cohesion of the population of the region, identifying problems, challenges, and developing the main directions for further development of the cultural sphere of the project’s partner regions.
You can find the reports on the following links:
Challenges and opportunities for the development of culture and social cohesion in the Sumy region
Program for creative entrepreneurs
This program will be a unique combination of training, mentoring, and networking to provide entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and knowledge to test and develop their ideas and business plans. UCORD will then provide co-financing for promising creative entrepreneurs to enable them to launch and grow their businesses.
Territorial branding
UCORD views place branding as a process involving a range of stakeholders who collectively understand the strengths, character and assets of a region to create an identity and reputation that will drive recognition and economic growth. The project will support one pilot area through a competitive selection process to learn best practices and gain the necessary technical expertise to develop and promote a place brand internationally.
Integrating culture into policy development at the national level
UCORD will support the RDA and cultural stakeholders in the pilot regions in preparing advocacy briefs to synthesize new evidence on the impact of culture on social cohesion in the pilot regions and propose concrete courses of action to influence national decision-making. In partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, the project will work to ensure that the lessons learned in the pilot regions through the implementation of a range of cultural and creative initiatives are captured and documented in a series of case studies. This will provide valuable input for the development of future cultural policy in Ukraine and the scaling up of successful actions in other regions. A programme of events will be organised to support the dissemination of this knowledge.
