Creative Co-working Hubs – 'Made By Many'
Innovation and Leadership supporting the Creative Economy in MENA
The British Council is looking for a small number of entrepreneurs, emergent leaders and innovators working in the Middle East to take part in our 'Made By Many' programme. The aim of the programme is to seek out creative practitioners and cultural pioneers who are exploring the frontiers between culture, enterprise, social development and technology and are specifically involved or interested in the creation of co-working and collaboration spaces. The programme will connect them to experiences, opportunities and expertise from the UK and Europe within from within their own communities.
Who can apply?
We are looking for emergent creative practitioners and innovators from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and with the following characteristics:
- Ability to demonstrate active participation in co-working and collaboration building.
- Involvement in initiatives that are engaging directly with communities and promoting diverse and engaged societies
- Participation in existing/emerging co-working/mutual support hubs (spaces, networks or collaborations).
- Involvement in creative forms of social enterprise that support community development.
What does the programme involve?
We will support the group through six key development stages including :
- A Residency Lab (in Cairo 27th – 31st October) offering the opportunity to build skills and networks and to seed innovation. Specialists from the region and from Europe will help explore existing models of co-working and use a magazine format to map and explore the infrastructure that supports Hubs.
- Follow-up consultancy in-situ from one of the programme Specialist to support Hub development.
- Support to share ideas with key international and regional policy-makers and established sector leaders.
What is ‘Made By Many’?
The programme has been created following a regional pilot in 2012/13 and a review of the learning from that pilot with the Ford Foundation. and it seeks to:
- Identify and support emerging creative practitioners and cultural pioneers who are exploring the frontiers between culture, enterprise, social development and technology and are specifically involved or interested in the creation of co-working and collaboration spaces.
- Establish and Develop Creative Hubs as spaces, networks and collaborations for creative and cultural innovators working to support community development. This will be reflected both in the shape and content of the offer and also in the selection criteria and therefore profile of participants.
- Create a network of Creative Hubs in the region – and connect it with practice and policy-makers from the Middle East and the UK.
- and connect it with existing groups of creative entrepreneurs, cultural innovators and policy-makers from the Middle East and the UK.
- Raise awareness of key issues affecting the cultural sector, and stimulate critical thought and new sustainable practises and projects.
- Strengthen the influence and position of the cultural sector cross-sectorally and regionally as a key social agent.
How can I join?
If you recognise yourself in this description – or recognise a friend or colleague – then please send us, or ask your friend to send us the following :
1. Your name, address and contact details.
2. A short biography that tells us who you are, what you have done and what you’re working on at the moment (please include any relevant weblinks).
3. A picture of yourself (low res).
4. A short answer (of no more than 200 words each) to the following three questions:
- Give us one idea on how to change your cultural sector for the better.
- How do you think your leadership in the cultural sector could contribute to wider social and economic development?
- Who do you most admire in your cultural sector and why?
The above information should be sent to Shaimaa.AlBanna@britishcouncil.org.eg by no later than 25 September 2014.
