ReIMAGINE

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In the Erasmus+ project ReIMAGINE, we explore how Europe remembers its own past, with the aim of contributing to a (re-)imagining of pluralistic European commemoration. At the centre are artistic practices as a shared tool for questioning dominant memory narratives and creating spaces for reflection and participation.

Together with partner organisations from Austria, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, and Cyprus, we bring together artistic, education-policy, and memory-culture perspectives. We are implementing a participatory needs analysis with stakeholders from the fields of art, education, and memory culture. Building on these findings, we are developing a digital platform for collective remembrance that brings together and makes visible pluralistic commemorative practices through artistic approaches, stories, and videos from all five partner countries. In addition, we are creating an interactive training toolkit on inclusive remembrance for educators, cultural mediators, and artists. The practical methods it contains for integrating art-based forms of commemoration into civic and adult education will be tested in joint training formats and national pilot projects, with subsequent refinements ensuring practical applicability. National and international events will also be held to connect multipliers across the network.

In ReIMAGINE, we explore, together with our partner organisations, practice-oriented methods that embed art-based forms of remembrance directly into civic and adult education. Through our outputs, we collectively strengthen civil society engagement, promote active democratic participation, and contribute to a more inclusive European remembrance culture.

We particularly invite educators, artists and cultural practitioners, and policy makers to take part in upcoming project activities. Current information is available via our newsletter and social media channels.

We particularly invite educators, artists and cultural practitioners, and policy makers to take part in upcoming project activities. Current information is available via our newsletter and social media channels.

Co-financed by the European Union and the Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport (BMWKMS).

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or OeAD-GmbH. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Kaleidoscope

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In February 2025, EDUCULT (Austria) entered into a cooperation partnership with Visual Voices (Cyprus), Skills Elevation FHB (Germany), ALO Ísland (Iceland), Future in Perspective Ltd (Ireland) and E. C. S. H. (Portugal) for an Erasmus+ project ‘Kaleidoscope – Harnessing Art-based Engagement to Empower Young Migrants’.

Bridging Communities Through Art & Expression

Across Europe, many young people face challenges of isolation, trauma, and identity struggles. With over 117.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, fostering emotional healing and social integration has never been more crucial. This project aims to tackle the pressing issues of social isolation and integration among young people with diverse cultural backgrounds, including those with lived migration experiences.

The project will build on the results of the award-winning Young Thespians project, and aims to provide youth with safe, inclusive, and imaginative spaces to explore identity, process traumatic experiences, and build meaningful relationships in their (new) communities.

A Creative Approach to Social Cohesion

Over the course of 24 months, all partners will combine their experiences and expertise in research and art-based engagement to:

  • Develop the ABEE (Art-Based Engagement Ethnography) Training Programme to strengthen youth workers’ skills in cultural competence and trauma-informed practices.
  • Co-create an Arts Toolkit, shaped by the input of youth from diverse cultural backgrounds, offering non-formal learning methods in visual arts, music, drama, and creative writing.
  • Produce Curators Guides to empower young people with leadership and event-planning expertise.
  • Organise Kaleidoscope Festivals in Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, and Portugal, where participants can showcase their artistic expressions and spark cross-cultural dialogue.
  • Host a transnational training event in Cyprus, bringing together youth workers to share best practices and create a strong support network for newcomer youth.

 

A European Collaboration with Local Impact

Kaleidoscope aims to build bridges between newly arrived and long-established communities by championing cultural exchange and mutual understanding. By emphasising co-creation and participation, the project nurtures the creative talents of youth while strengthening social cohesion across Europe.

Activities will run until 2027, taking place in each partner country and culminating in vibrant local festivals and a European conference in Vienna, that highlight the beauty and diversity of cross-cultural youth experiences.

Join the Journey

For updates, inquiries, or to participate in upcoming project activities, visit:
Kaleidoscope on its website, Facebook or Instagram 
Or join our mailing list.

The project is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the OeAD-GmbH. Neither the European Union nor OeAD-GmbH can be held responsible for them. Project No.: 2024-2-AT01-KA220-YOU-000292245

ANDERS:GLEICH

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ANDERS:GLEICH responds to global social upheavals and ongoing conflicts, such as those in Palestine/Israel, Syria and Ukraine, that profoundly affect young people both emotionally and politically. The project strengthens attitudes of equal human worth, minimises the risk of radicalisation, and promotes an open, pluralistic, and democratic society grounded in human rights. The primary target groups are young people in schools and youth centres who, through their social environments, including family, peer groups, and social media, are confronted with polarising narratives.

Through experience-based activities, interactive methods, and hands-on engagement, we create spaces in which young people can build their capacity for tolerance, empathy, and democratic thinking. In guided reflection formats, we work together with participants to critically examine their own patterns of thought, attitudes, and prejudices – consciously incorporating the influences of social media, family background, and peer groups.

Young people are encouraged to recognise the equal worth of all people and to actively embody this in their lives. In this way, we promote the perception of societal plurality as a strength and an opportunity. The project challenges attitudes of denigration and exclusion, and strengthens democratic, human rights-oriented ways of acting in everyday life.

Salon of Cultures

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The “Salon der Kulturen” (“Salon of Cultures”) has been a recurring event series at decentralised venues across Vienna since 2010, conceived and delivered by us. The series addresses a broad public and creates spaces where cultural diversity, artistic positions, and socio-political questions come together – giving rise to new perspectives on how we live together in the city and on the question of how we wish to shape that life in common.

At the heart of each event are artistic contributions, open conversations, and moderated discussion formats in which a diversity of voices can be heard – from artists and cultural practitioners to civil society advocates. Participants engage with current social issues and negotiate them through a wide range of cultural and biographical experiences, carried by varied aesthetic and discursive formats.

Through these public encounters, we broaden perceptions of diversity and open new spaces for dialogue between art and society. Each edition of the “Salon der Kulturen” is framed by a theme that invites collective reflection on questions of social relevance. In this way, we strengthen active processes of social negotiation and cultural participation.

All events can be found here.

Spring Academy / Summer Academy

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The “Spring Academy” and “Summer Academy” are intensive one-to-two-week programmes held in spring and late summer. We design and deliver them on behalf of various clients, including Kōbe University (Japan). International students explore cultural policy, cultural management, and social issues in Vienna through a practice-oriented approach. The format is open to stakeholders from culture, education, and politics — tailored to their specific needs and areas of focus.

At the heart of each individually designed programme are lectures, workshops, and institutional visits, in which experts from culture, education, and policy share their perspectives and engage in dialogue with participants. Depending on the thematic focus, participants deepen their knowledge of cultural transformation, contemporary cultural policy, or the Viennese music scene through interdisciplinary exchange formats.

The Academies foster networking, provide well-founded insights, and generate lasting impulses for a global cultural practice. Guided by a thematic focus, we analyse Vienna’s cultural scenes and the social challenges they navigate. We think about cultural education in an international context and strengthen transnational cultural perspectives through ongoing exchange.

Digital Exhibition: Salon of Cultures – “Gespaltene Zunge”

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If as an artist you always receive embellished rejections and are rejected with white lies, how can you improve? If artists don’t receive honest feedback on their work, how can we expect unadulterated and honest work to be created?

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Birlikte Yaşamak!

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Vienna is a city in which many migrant and autochthonous communities live peacefully together and side by side. As part of a diverse urban society, people with Turkish roots, together with their various ethno-cultural, political-religious sub-communities, form one of the largest groups. Depending on the individual situation, identity and social positioning, there are different as well as overlapping needs, concerns, challenges and conflicting areas with society as a whole and with each other. It is important to work through these in a comprehensive dialogue process in an understanding and solution-oriented way.The dialogue project “BIRLIKTE YAŞAMAK! – Reden. Aufeinander zugehen. In Vielfalt leben.” offers a platform on which, together and in cooperation with the sub-communities of Turkish origin in Vienna, prejudices and dividing lines with society as a whole, as well as among themselves, can be dismantled in an understanding and solution-oriented manner.

Due to this approach, the peace-building, bridge-building resources and attitudes within the sub-communities of Turkish origin and subcommunities of similar experiences are strengthened. With the help of a comprehensive, communication-oriented dialogue process, a contribution is to be made to break down the existing barriers, devaluations and hostilities so that a better coexistence becomes possible for all. To this end, a variety of activities and projects are taking place and are being continuously developed.

“Birlikte Yasamak!” is a project co-financed by the European Union (AMIF) and the Federal Chancellery and realised in cooperation between EDUCULT and think.difference.

Summer Academy Vienna 2023

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Short Description

This 12-day seminar in Austria’s federal capital Vienna focuses on particularly pressing issues of our time: How can we succeed in working in the cultural sector in an ecologically resource-friendly way? Is it possible not only to think together about environmental protection, knowledge transfer and democratic education as well as “culture for all”, but also to implement them in a meaningful way in high-quality cultural projects?

We present current research results from EDUCULT projects (SoPHIA, URB_ART, Sparkling Science: Colonialism today?!) and reflect on concrete options for action and good practice examples. Together with Viennese experts from various art disciplines and institutions as well as freelance cultural workers, we will shed light on concrete possibilities for participatory, responsible and sustainable cultural work. An accompanying cultural programme on individual evenings will complement the Summer Academy Vienna 2023.

Rationale

With rapid social, economic and climatic changes and different regional and global demands of our time, the various actors in the field of art and culture face challenges in networking globally with their peers, to learn from each other and to stimulate and contribute to discourses – all this with a vision of social and societal needs and at the same time a focus on the essential artistic formats.

In the seminar, we address these multi-layered topics both with lecture and workshop formats and by visiting institutions – with experts from the fields of classical music and opera, traditional and contemporary theatre, visual arts, education and pedagogy, management and politics.

Theme

The social developments of the past few years with a pandemic, climate change, transformations in media consumption and knowledge transfer in the areas of social media and artificial intelligence, increasing autocratisation and high inflation rates are leaving their mark worldwide. Culture is recognised at an international level as an important tool to address the resulting challenges, and contribute to sustainable development.

Within the Horizon 2020 project SoPHIA – Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment, a holistic impact assessment model for historical, ecological and cultural sites in Europe was developed. A key finding is the direct links between culture, heritage and ecological, economic, social and cultural sustainability. The importance of the cultural dimension for building sustainable societies and nature is being shared with the broader public by EDUCULT through the communication project Spreading SoPHIA, which encourages a holistic approach to sustainable education/culture and policy making.

The Erasmus+ project URB_ART – Supporting Community Development through Urban Arts Education, which EDUCULT implemented together with European partner institutions, aimed to address people from socio-economically disadvantaged communities with innovative formats of (digital) education, communication and participation.

Questions and topics to be addressed:

  • Sustainable cultural institutions place ecology, the conscious use of resources and socio-political responsibility at the centre of their activities. What has changed in their thematic orientation and in the concrete implementation of projects? What are the differences between large traditional institutions and cultural projects of the independent scene?
  • Culture for all: Who feels addressed by which formats in terms of content or even excluded? How do we counter the current inflation rates – what does high inflation mean for the cultural sector and for visitors – is art and culture affordable for all? What concepts are currently being pursued by Austrian and Viennese cultural policy?
  • What discourses are there in the Viennese art and culture scene with regard to democracy, social inclusion of marginalised groups and equality? Where do we currently stand socially in Vienna and Europe in comparison to the situation in Kōbe and Japan? Which discourses should be continued or initiated?
  • To what extent do cultural institutions and freelance artists actively participate in transformation processes in social media and in the discourse on artificial intelligence, and how do they position themselves?

EDUCULT has conceived and organized this year’s programme of the Summer Academy in Vienna and is looking forward to exciting discussions and insights!

Spreading SoPHIA – Culture and Sustainability

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“Spreading SoPHIA – Culture and Sustainability” brought the findings of the European Horizon 2020 project “Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment” (SoPHIA) into practice, making them accessible to a broader public. Central to the project was a holistic understanding of sustainability that connects the ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of culture and cultural heritage, feeding into education, culture, and policy processes. The project addressed pupils, cultural practitioners, and policy makers, providing them with impulses for linking culture, cultural heritage, and sustainability in their work. In this project, we worked together with our partners at the intersection of education, cultural policy, and sustainability discourse, building on the research findings and instruments developed through the SoPHIA project.

The research outputs from SoPHIA – including the impact assessment model, toolkit, policy briefs, guidelines, and research agenda – were adapted for different target audiences, communicating the role of culture and cultural heritage in the sustainability debate in an accessible and comprehensible way. Through workshops and multiplier events, cultural practitioners and policy makers received the SoPHIA model as a practical tool for reflecting on the sustainability dimensions of their own work. In parallel, we reached broader audiences through social media activities and print media, supported by cooperation partners MuseumsQuartier Wien, the Austrian UNESCO Commission, and Europa Nostra.

The project strengthened awareness of the interconnections between culture, cultural heritage, and ecological, economic, social, and cultural sustainability, and encouraged stakeholders to integrate these dimensions into their project development and decision-making. Key outputs included target-group-specific materials presenting the SoPHIA project findings, workshops and multiplier formats, a social media and print campaign, and the expanded application of the SoPHIA model and toolkit in education, culture, and policy practice.

 

 

 

Creator’s Campaign

Austrian Guides for Future Teil 2/3:

MILA Mitmach Supermarkt 3/3:

Activities

 

Final Conference

Young Thespians

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The Erasmus+ project “Young Thespians: Youth Performing Arts Education for All!” explored how young people – particularly those who experience disadvantage due to characteristics such as language, gender identity, or religion – can gain equal access to the performing arts. Together with the Reykjavík Ensemble (Iceland) and the Musisches Zentrum Wien (associate partner), we implemented the project to make structural barriers visible, develop practical tools for inclusive work in the performing arts, and strengthen equitable participation.

We combined our expertise in research and artistic practice in close collaboration with our partners. We also worked closely with young people, arts educators, teachers, social workers, and artists. This collaboration formed the basis for a participatory needs analysis on access to the performing arts. We are very grateful to the Austrian and Icelandic participants whose contributions were central to the development of an effective, practice‑oriented toolkit and directly informed its design. In addition, we conducted pilot courses in Reykjavík and Vienna to test the toolkit in practice and ensure its best possible use for future practitioners.

The research carried out in Iceland and Austria shed light on the ongoing tension between social realities and institutional practice in the performing arts. To address the many challenges in ensuring fair access, we developed the “Young Thespians’ Toolkit” for arts educators and youth leaders”. Through its diverse techniques, methods, exercises, stories, tools and recommendations, we enhance equitable access for young people in the performing arts. The project’s outstanding impact earned us the Erasmus+ and ESK Award 2024.

 

Young Thespians’ Toolkit

Editor: Rida Arif Siddiqui
Authors: Anna Gaberscik, Pálína Jónsdóttir, Jessica Marie LoMonaco, Ewa Marcinek, Stella Radovan, Cristina Sandino Rossmann, Rida Arif Siddiqui
Publisher: Reykjavík Ensemble / EDUCULT
Design and Layout: Michael Jung, metaphor.me, Icons HDM from the Noun Project

 

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for all contributions and unwavering support throughout this journey of creating the Toolkit. The dedication and enthusiasm of Austrian and Icelandic researchers, practitioners, youth educators, and youth have shaped this publication into what it is today.

The project has been supported by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.