Developing a civil, open and democratic society is achieved through the production of new artistic practices and youth subculture, with active participation of citizens as co-creators of art works and cultural policies. This project will stimulate not only young people, but all citizens of Labin to participate in managing and programming of the Socio-Cultural Centre Lamparna, participatory art projects, emphasising interculturalism and social inclusion of vulnerable social groups.

City of Labin with surrounding municipalities, Region of Istria, Croatia.

Labin region has a large and diverse minority population (Italians, Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians…) with a large number of young people (160-180). A study of Local Youth Program of the City of Labin (2015) showed that young members of the national minorities have low sense of belonging to the community due to the low level of social cohesion. There are 20 young people with disabilities in Labin, mostly proteges of the Centre for Inclusion or members of Liče Faraguna association, who face far more hardships than their peers due to the inaccessibility and/or inadequacy of cultural and artistic contents and activities. Also, there is not a single association of LGBT persons in Labin, nor in Istria region.

The project aims at young people and local vulnerable groups excluded from active participation in cultural or political development. Until now we have successfully implemented several civic initiatives to encourage young people to participate in decision making on a local or regional level. Therefore, this project aims to stimulate young people’s awareness of local community issues, educate and support them to make informed decisions. Our target groups also include national minorities, the visually impaired community, young people with disabilities and LGBT people from Labin as marginalized social groups. The implementation of all our projects begins with researching the needs of the community through qualitative and quantitative analyses and using the results of our previous research.

This project includes a large number of various cultural and artistic activities, which will be carried out over a period of one year: educations, exhibitions, conferences, guerrilla actions in public spaces which bring culture and art to the doorstep, public events, activism and networking and contemporary art workshops etc. These activities enable participants to express their views, experiences and opinions on social exclusion and democracy, as well as to better understand the importance of different cultures as a resource for improving social and personal skills. The project is based on the following methods: activism and art networking, mobilizing the wider community, creating actions and happenings, creating common platforms and producing new initiatives.

We will actively involve 500 young people in participatory management of Lamparna and participatory artistic programmes. A few thousand young people and other citizens who will passively participate in the project will be informed about the results of the project. Target groups will be educated about participatory governance in culture, contemporary art, will develop their creative potentials and social skills and work together to contribute to social cohesion and development in their communities. The project encourages them to further educate themselves, which will result in better social integration and their greater employability in the future. In line with the current situation of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, all project activities will also be available online.

DKC Lamparna, beside the Rojc Centre in Pula, is the only civic centre in the Region of Istria which develops active citizenship through participatory cultural and art projects. Beside LAE there are no organizations in Labin which promote contemporary art practices or cultural programs for young people encouraging creativity and active citizenship. By transforming CC LAMPARNA (2018-10/2020) from an alternative to a socio-cultural centre for all citizens of Labin and Istria, LAE’s capacity for participatory art production and management has been further strengthened. Through critically engaged cultural and art programs, this project will improve the quality of life of the local community and social integration of vulnerable groups as well as further development of civil and open society.

Through continuous work with young people, we noticed the problem of their complete passivity and inactivity in the life of the local community. Furthermore, a large number of children and young people spend their free time in the local neighbourhood where it is normal to consume alcohol, tobacco products and even drugs. L.A.E. XXI has conducted three surveys (2002, 2009 and 2013) on occasional users and visitors of Lamparna (age 16 – 29) to determine their needs and problems. Out of a total of about 600 young people, more than 90% of them have never actively participated in any cultural and artistic activities, but are also completely indifferent to contemporary art (as well as to politics). L.A.E. has also collaborated with minority groups in several projects.

Office expenses (indirect costs of the Association): 9.000,00 EUR
Personnel costs: Project manager and two project assistants: 21.000,00 EUR
Artists’ fees: 9.000 EUR
Travel and accommodation cost: 28.000,00 EUR (artists)
Communication and dissemination cost: 11.000,00 EUR
Catering (food + beverages) for workshops cost: 1.500,00 EUR
Documentation (photo and video services): 4.000,00 EUR

Feedback on the idea, support in designing the visibility and communication plan, feedback on our approach to social integration of target groups through culture and the arts and general feedback about how such a project is perceived at European level.