Duct tape and Dreams

Programme for Young Creative Collectives For the young, daring and driven, apply to our free…
Published on Jan. 19, 2023

Programme for Young Creative Collectives

For the young, daring and driven, apply to our free 9 month mentoring programme we call “Duct tape and Dreams”.

Running a space for art and culture is never easy but can be especially challenging in the first years. Our ideas and passion often clash against tough reality and bureaucratic hustle. All we wish for is some guidance, a roadmap on how to navigate those exciting and challenging years and secure a more sustainable future for our centres!

Duct Tape and Dreams is a hands-on mentoring and capacity building programme for emerging artistic collectives. It brings young and committed creatives on a nine-month developmental journey, providing them with necessary tools and expertise to build a sustainable future in the independent cultural sector.

All participants will get a tailored expert coaching throughout the whole programme and access to our capacity building activities, an opportunity to peer learn and attend TEH conference in Leipzig with 350+ creatives and a chance to win a money prize through our newly initiated award: The Philippe Grombeer Award of 5000 euro.

What do we offer:

  • A tailored coaching from a peer organisation who has gone through the same process in the past and has similar interest
  • A possibility to have a curated workshop at your centre based on your needs
  • Travel support to visit the mentor’s centre to gain hands-on experience and knowledge
  • Visibility through a programme publication featuring all participants
  • Travel and accommodation support to attend TEH conference in Leipzig with 350+ creatives
  • Access to a vibrant and diverse community of like-minded kick starters from across Europe and beyond
  • A possibility to win The Phillipe Grombeer Award!

About the Award

The Philippe Grombeer Award has been established in the memory of Philippe Grombeer, the founder of Trans Europe Halles and the Halles de Schaerbeek in Brussels. The first edition of the award is being launched this year collaboratively by TEH and Les Halles de Schaerbeek.

Philippe Grombeer defined himself as “a cultural transmitter, a spur to cultural action”. He also possessed a rare gift in spotting and promoting young creatives troupes. With Trans Europe Halles turning 40 years old we would like to commemorate our wonderful founder and capture his spirit by offering this award to one young emerging cultural collective who is at the start of their journey and have successfully completed our Duct Tape and Dreams Programme.

The award includes

  • Financial support of 5000 EUR
  • Networking and promotion of your centre’s work
  • Free membership at Trans Europe Halles for two years
  • Mobility support to attend TEH Camp Meeting in Tbilisi in Oct 2023. 

Programme outline

  • Mid-Feb – Online introduction Q&A session hosted by TEH where participants get to meet each other and their future mentors
  • Feb-March – A scoping visit by a mentor to your centre to carry out a detailed needs analysis
  • March-22 Sep – A tailored weekly online coaching
  • 1 April-31 Aug – A short visit to the mentor’s centre
  • 8-11 June – Presentation at TEH Conference in Leipzig where you get to meet and be presented to TEH members
  • Sep-Oct –Finalisation of the mentoring and delivery of short evaluation report
  • 5-8 Oct – The winner of the Philippe Grombeer Award comes to TEH Camp Meeting in Tbilisi for the award ceremony.

This programme is for you if:

  • You are not a TEH member or associate yet
  • You are an up-&-coming creative space led by youth, underrepresented communities, refugees. advocacy and civil society groups
  • It is an extra plus but not obligatory for you to work with digital cultures, environmental sustainability, democracy and humanitarian response
  • You are legally established as an organisation
  • You are repurposing a building for arts and culture
  • You have a legal agreement – or in negotiation – with the owner of the space about its future use
  • You are motivated and have capacity to actively participate in the programme and all its activities.

What is expected from you as a participant

If your cultural centre is one of the four lucky ones selected for the programme, you commit to:

  • Actively participate and engaged in the programme
  • Attend TEH Conference in Leipzig and present your centre to TEH members there
  • Deliver a short-written evaluation about the process, including visual documentation.

After completing the programme, you are also welcome to become TEH full or associate member!

How to apply

DEADLINE EXTENDED until 14 February 2023!

If you want to join the programme, fill in the registration form here by 14 February 2023 by 23.59 CET!

After the application round closes, the selection committee that will evaluate all the application and we will announce the results in early February. Only four participants will be selected.

Inspiration from the previous years

Duct Tape and Dreams originated in 2017 and was originally called TEH Startup Support Programme. Its main purpose was to support emerging artistic collectives on the borders of Europe in the regions that might have less favorable environment for such initiatives to grow and develop. We have run this programme for four successful years and have supported 13 young creative collectives across Europe.

You can read their stories here!

Contact

If you have any questions about the programme, please drop a line to our Project Manager -Members Relations – Femi Adeniyi at femi@teh.net.

This progarmme is delivered within the framework of The Network Project (TNP) funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.