READ is a four-year EU funded project implemented by Goethe-Institut Skopje, together with the partner organizations: Loja (North Macedonia), ILP (Albania), Kalem Culture (Turkey), Krokodil (Serbia), Qendra Multimedia (Kosovo). The project supports civil society actors to foster and contribute to intercultural tolerance and democratic values with particular focus on youth.
Regional Network for Cultural Diversity (READ) started 1st October 2020 and will continue till 31 August 2024. The Project supports the intercultural dialogue with the projects; Residency Program for Artists in Five Countries, Support of Intercultural Projects in Five Countries and Support of Multilingual Projects in Five Countries.
The project Regional Network for Cultural Diversity - READ is directly related to the EU-Western Balkan Flagship initiatives to support the transformation of the Western Balkan, mainly initiative 6 “to support reconciliation and good neighborly relations”. This project is funded by the European Commission under the Grant Scheme "Civil Society Facility and Media Programme 2018-2019", with duration of 4 years, starting 01.09.2020 and will be completed by 31.08.2024.
The Project is implemented by the Goethe-Institut as a lead partner and 5 partner organizations from the region: CBC Loja (NMK), Instituti I Librit dhe i Promocionit (Аlbania), Kalem Culture Association (Turkey), Krokodil (Serbia), and Qendra Multimedia (Kosovo).
The project Regional Network for Cultural Diversity contributes to reconciliation and intercultural tolerance by opening new channels of communication for the independent cultural societies, offering them networking opportunities away from the political stage. In the Western Balkan countries, few mechanisms provide regional cultural communication. The project addresses this gap by offering networking opportunities that facilitate the exchange of experiences through joint projects, public events and campaigns. These promote diverse cultural initiatives and provide space for the presentation of the work of smaller grassroots initiatives in the regional arena.
The project aims to promote intercultural reading skills and democratic values through reading culture and the handling of supra-regional high-quality literary works. This includes the establishment and operation of a mobile library in 5 countries and the support of 10 regional literature festivals on the topic of intercultural exchange and reconciliation.
Along with 6 CSOs who are a part of the project consortium, the project will benefit and target up to 90 cultural initiatives through direct support, be that through sub-granting, training or networking support. CSOs are critical to the success of this project, as they wield considerable influence in culture and societal change.
Additional target groups are regional agents of change, which in this case are artists, writers, translators, and other cultural operators.
As many as 120 schools in the WB region and Turkey and over 100 libraries will be targeted with informational materials, and their inclusion in various activities. Other beneficiaries include citizens of Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Albania. Special focus will be put on youth. This accounts to more than 5,000 youth who will directly participate in activities, but also more than 500.000 who will be exposed to information stemming from activity implementation and promotion.
