Apply now for Tandem 360°

The Tandem programme for cultural exchange is looking for 20 civil society and cultural activists from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and from Libyan initiatives and collectives displaced in these countries, to join the first round of Tandem 360°.

Application deadline: Monday 29 June 2020 at 23:59 CEST

Open to applicants based in the countries listed above.
Accepted languages: Arabic, English, French

Tandem is looking for 20 civil society and cultural activists to join the first round of Tandem 360°. Participating organisations will get a chance to connect with change-makers across the region. In the spirit of ‘Doing-it-together’, the one-year programme offers a space to experiment with multidisciplinary project ideas, ecosystem mapping and inventive approaches to create change through culture.

Tandem 360° is a new addition to the six existing Tandem programmes for cultural exchange. This open call was planned to be published right before the pandemic of the coronavirus has affected us all globally. This situation has proven more than ever that our systems need to be questioned and changed, also in the cultural sector and among civil society. Tandem has always been about fostering initiatives creating spaces to allow such questions to be asked, and where possible, worked on and transformed into change to build stronger communities locally in the regions where we work. And more than ever, we do need a 360° perspective. By focusing on the idea of a 360° perspective on the work and activities of cultural organisations in the selected countries, this programme allows professionals working in culture and civil society from many different disciplines to acquire skills required for ecosystem mapping – i.e. looking at not only who they are, why they do what they do, but also at the tools and resources each organisation has or needs to be able to function – and engaging in long-term partnerships.

The Tandem process provides hands-on possibilities for getting real insights into diverse cultural scenes. Participants gain practical experience by collaborating within rapidly changing fields in their regions.

Tandem is a cultural collaboration programme that strengthens civil society in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Tandem offers a space to build real, meaningful and sustainable relationships that can grow through shared interests, enthusiasm for creative discovery and the joy of making things happen together. Since its inception in 2011, Tandem has supported long-term collaborations, knowledge development and networking opportunities for more than 400 cultural managers from over 200 cities across three continents. There are currently six Tandem editions which focus on different regions and topics.

Tandem believes that the burning cultural and social questions of our times can be addressed much more creatively and effectively through inspiring learning experiences when working with new organisations and across new localities. We believe these experiences can contribute to increasing empathy, building resilient civil society actors and shaping a common future. Our vision is to see strong networks of creative communities and change-makers emerge from this programme, and to support their community impact.

Within each Tandem programme, participants form cross-national partnerships of two, aka tandems. These Tandem partners organise working visits to each other’s’ cities and develop a joint pilot project which serves as a space for mutual learning and engagement.
Throughout the year, participants meet for networking, workshops and peer-to-peer exchange. At the end of the project there is a final presentation and the opportunity to connect with the growing Tandem network. The programme acts on different levels, offering professional development to individuals, as well as supporting organisational change processes through ecosystem mapping and creating a space to experiment with innovative ideas.

You can — but do not necessarily have to — work for a classic cultural organisation (see more under eligibility). Nonetheless, you should be strongly interested in designing new formats of civil and cultural-social work that engage communities in re-shaping their current and future realities. You should be motivated to explore unconventional ways of working together with a Tandem partner who you don’t know yet. You should be committed to identify and pursue new ideas for cultural work that addresses burning societal issues, both in your local community and beyond.

Independent cultural NGOs, non-hierarchical and open-minded public institutions or civil society initiatives which are well rooted in a local community and have an established professional network
AND
are based in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia. We also invite and strongly encourage displaced Libyan organisations’ based in these countries to apply.

You should have the (organisational and financial) capacity, ambition and experience to engage in a one-year intensive international programme, as well as be ready to commit to providing sufficient work time of one employee in your organisation.

Please apply online: you can fill in the application for in Arabic, in English or in French.

Application deadline is Monday 29 June 2020 at 23:59 CEST.

Selection of applicants and invitations for the Partner Forum will be announced by early July 2020.

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Contact Hatem for further inquiries.