With the selection of 15 Cultural and Creative projects from all over Europe, the European project Collab 4 HySust CCI just hit its most exciting phase: the mentorship and incubation period!
It is with great pleasure that we introduce the Italian squad that made the cut, personally handpicked by Materahub.
But first, let’s rewind.
What is Collab 4 HY Sustain CCI?
Collab 4 HY Sustain CCI is a fresh innovation incubation project funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe programme and coordinated by Materahub.
The project is calling out to creative and cultural organizations all over Europe to join in an exciting journey of growth, innovation, and teamwork. Over the project’s duration, the European partnership will roll out a micro incubation process, providing grants and support to 15 handpicked organizations.
The microgrant scheme is geared towards promoting collaborative innovation projects across different sectors and borders, focusing on audience development or sustainability through collaboration.
The selected CCIs benefit from mentorship, capacity building, and a 3,000 euro grant to prototype initiatives that will pave the way for tangible results and future implementation.
The Mentorship Programme offers coaching, mentoring, and tutoring to the chosen organizations over a span of 16 months, empowering them to make enduring changes and share their achievements within a wider network.
The winning organizations
And now, let’s give a big round of applause to the winning organizations to which we asked the reason why it participated in the coaching session and what they expect.
Club Silencio
Let’s start from Club Silencio: a cultural association based in Turin that engages in experiential projects aimed at fostering active participation among young people under 35 in the cultural, social, and political life of their local area.
Using their own words: “The decision to participate in the Collab 4 HY Sustain CCI incubation program through our project In Sitù was driven by our strategic goal to elevate and fine-tune our cultural initiatives, aware that incubation is a pivotal phase in shaping and solidifying our initial ideas, allowing us to develop a clearer understanding of the potential cultural, artistic, and social impacts of our project also facilitating connections with cultural organizations and professionals from diverse European countries unlocking further and potential perspectives.”
Salone dei Rifiutati
From the most northern region of Piedmont, we return south introducing you the second selected organization: il Salone dei Rifiutati, a cooperative and creative space which collects production waste from companies and reconvert them for educational activities, exhibitions, workshops and training courses in synergy with artists, creatives, and public, private, and third-sector entities.
In 2016, it became a social cooperative and in 2017, it launched the MOON – Museo Officina degli Oggetti Narranti (Museum Workshop of Narrative Objects), where exhibitions created by the collective are displayed, and training courses and events are organized to promote sustainability and inclusion through art.
They participated at the call with the projet ReDo Factory to seize the opportunity to continue the experimentation started two years ago at the MOON Museum in Potenza.
As they stated: “The goal is to create a virtuous network among local companies that donate corporate waste and convert it into useful materials for the creation of ludodidactic kits for schools. With the guidance of a professional mentor, we expect to analyze this project in light of the opportunities we can exploit to improve management and marketing opportunities in our sector of cultural and social enterprises that care about environmental sustainability. It is also essential to work on targeting the right audience, to test activities that meet the needs of different audiences.”
Palazzo Verde, Genoa, during the Genoa Science Festival 2011 – photo by Luca Puglisi.
AltreMenti LABS
And let’s stay south to introduce you AltreMenti LABS: a youth association based in the province of Bari that deals with artistic productions and services related to the world of entertainment.
It currenlty manages two regenerated public spaces and has dozens of record and multimedia publications to its credit. For the past two years, it has organized the Distorsioni Fest, a popular summer event in the province of Bari.
Their participation was instigated by the possibility to combine the enhancement and promotion of the territory promoting it at international level.
The candidated project focuses on the production of four live sessions in unconventional venues, all aimed at creating high-quality audiovisual content for the promotion of the artists involved and the locations hosting them.
Using their own words: The mentorship program is, from our point of view, the great added value of the program. The opportunity to interact with a professional from another European country is not only an opportunity to enrich the project and discuss its operational and artistic aspects but also an opportunity to learn and discuss various aspects related to the state of the cultural and creative industry in our continent and the peculiarities of various national approaches.
Amalgama project
And last, let’s jump in the middle of the Mediterrenean sea, in the island of Salina in the archipelago of the Aeolian island. The Amalgama project aims to sensitize future generations to sustainable and innovative practices within the environmental complexities of their territories, offering educational opportunity for adolescents (15-17 years old) to blend scientific and artistic methodologies, emphasizing observation, experiential learning, and transversality among emerging generations.
“Our participation in the incubation program stems from the desire to bring innovation to the cultural and creative sector, opening up new avenues of connection between creators and the public and allowing them to interact in original and innovative ways. With the Aeolian Amalgama project, we aim to generate ideas and practices that promote broader access to culture and promote sustainability through new synergies and collaborations. Through the mentorship of experienced professionals and a targeted training program, we aim to improve the managerial, organizational, and design capabilities of our organization, with particular attention to creating innovative and sustainable educational models for Aeolian adolescents. Additionally, with the support of Collab 4 HY Sustain CCI, we aim to expand our network of affiliated partners and institutions, implement technological and communication solutions, and develop lasting financial models and territorial project strategies.”
