Timisoara, a city in Romania, bolstered by winning a bid through the EU, took on a grand experiment. My guest Silvia Fierascu, a network science researcher among other roles, was a part of that project. In this episode, we explore how political vision, open-mindedness and principles drawn from network science brought community organizations together to strengthen and grow cultural cohesion.
Working with organizations in a city with a population of 300,000, presented an opportunity to galvanize cohesion among cultural organizations that would normally compete for resources.
Can cooperation be better than competition when it comes to growth?
In the first 15 minutes we talked about:
- Cultural Impact: The focus is on prioritizing cultural development as a driver for economic growth, improving quality of life, and integrating education to cultivate future cultural consumers and producers.
- Institutional Support: The Center for Projects, an institution under the mayor’s office, leads the program implementation.
- Principles vs. Beliefs: Principles, unlike beliefs, can be tested and are used to anchor actions and guide change, fostering collaboration and sustainability within the cultural ecosystem.
- Recognition and Respect: The follow-up plan emphasizes recognizing and respecting the contributions of individuals and organizations, planning together to give meaning and purpose to their efforts.
- Network Analysis: The methodology identifies key actors with significant influence over the ecosystem, fostering trust and collaboration for broader impact.
- Reflection for Growth: A key recommendation is for 2024 to be a year of reflection to learn from experiences, ensuring continuous improvement and sustainability of the cultural initiatives.
- Innovative Financing: Changes in cultural financing legislation made funding more sustainable and transparent, promoting collaboration and accessibility for vulnerable communities.
- Public Debate and Inclusion: Public debates around art and inclusive cultural events were new and significant interventions that fostered community engagement and collaboration among cultural operators.
An individual’s emotional and mental health is informed or influenced by the health of the people in the community so strengthening cohesion increases resilience.
To connect with Silvia on LinkedIN: Silvia Fierascu
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