Culture of Solidarity Fund launches Just Transition Interregional Edition

In the past months Europeans have been confronted with the aftermath of a global health crisis, massive wars and the ever more apparent impact of climate emergencies on local communities. Regions all over Europe have been facing the painful consequences of a globally unfettered extraction and use of natural resources. European landscapes like the Alps and the Mediterranean have been severely affected by climate change-related disasters. These extreme weather phenomena endanger cultural livelihoods, traditional practices and the living heritage of local communities, whose human capacities and cultural infrastructure are at the same time powerful resources for a more sustainable future.

More than ever, communities need to come to a shared understanding on how to prepare for the urgent shift from the prevailing resource – intensive lifestyles to low-carbon green economies and societies. This will require us to reset and recalibrate our lives to meet whatever challenges arise in the transition to living within a socially just and environmentally regenerative society. For according to the concept of Just Transition, such a far-reaching transition must be fair and equitable to all. Systemic change is daunting, disruptive, difficult, but necessary and is intrinsically linked to a shift in mindsets and societal attitudes towards nature, industry, work, consumerism and social justice. It is therefore essential to consider the cultural contexts of different communities and to acknowledge the specific ecology of their living environments that define their specific values, needs, struggles and aspirations.

Arts and culture have the power to shape values, beliefs and behaviours. Cultural organisations, art institutions, cultural media, community activists, artists and the work of the creative sectors as a whole are compelling public actors for raising questions and building consensus around the need for a just transition. Although these actors have already facilitated innovation and democratic acceptance of agendas that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal or the New European Bauhaus, many are yet to assume greater responsibility in leading by example in their own practices and in raising their voices in public debates.

The arts and creative sectors in Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Aosta Valley hold vast resources that allow them to engage with the complexities of ecological transformation agendas in their local contexts. Together with peer organisations from other regions across Europe, this call invites them to expand their knowledge capacities and institutional networks that are essential for becoming pioneers in just transition and sustainable development processes within their local communities.

This round of the Culture of Solidarity Fund is developed in partnership with Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRC and Fondazione CRT.

Deadline for applying is 29 February 2024 (13:00 CET).