Tailored mentorship programme for young creative collectives. Duct Tape & Dreams (DTAD) is a grassroots mentorship programme for young cultural initiatives and collectives looking for support to take the next step. We won’t give you all the answers, but we’ll help you find them. We don’t promise to solve your problems, but we do promise to connect you with people who have been where you are now.
What is Duct Tape and Dreams?
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 half-a-year 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 a TEH Meeting with 350+ creatives.
Programme details
In our vision, an emerging initiative is a young (two years or less) civic initiative that is operating in a repurposed building or space with a focus on creativity, arts, and culture along with a Do-It-Yourself / Do-It-Together approach.
An emerging initiative is expected to be in its preliminary phase but already attaining some level of self-sufficiency, though it may not be sustainable yet!
- A tailored coaching from mentor from a peer organisation that has gone through the same process in the past and has similar interest
- A possibility to have a curated workshop based on your needs
- Visibility through a programme publication and TEH channels featuring all participants
- Travel and accommodation support to attend a TEH Meeting in with 350+ creatives
- Access to a vibrant and diverse community of like-minded kick-starters and centres from across Europe and beyond
Your application will be evaluated after the call is closed by the programme’s selection committee.
If your cultural centre is one of the four lucky ones selected for the mentorship program, you commit to:
- Actively participate and engaged in the programme.
- Present your centre to TEH Members during the next TEH Meeting.
- Deliver a short-written evaluation about the process, including visual documentation.
Activities over the 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.
2024
In 2024, the mentorship program focused on grassroots centres in former European Capital Cities of Culture (ECoC) and ECOC candidate cities. Explore the report to know more about the activities, challenges, and the learning outcomes achieved by the participants in 2024.
2023
Explore the report to know more about the participants, programme activities, challenges, and the learning outcomes achieved by the participants in 2023.
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