Under our PP Cult pillar, we are launching a new project called ECHO Academies. Our colleague Bianka Faddi travelled to the kick-off meeting and wrote a personal blogpost about the event:
“In fact, there are two reasons why people start working in the cultural sector: they are either artists or would like to support the arts…and this is the core aim of the project called ECHO Academies!
ECHO Academies is about emerging and young talents and supporting them through sharing skills and creating the networking system between artists and CCS professionals. Following the success of the ECHO project series, ECHO Academies is addressing the complex challenge of the abovementioned case.
The project combines local level activities that include trans-European mobility of artists (academies), networking and synergy-building (connection of artists with the market), and spillover activities (pilot projects, international communication and dissemination) and tools and skills offering activities (series of CBAs). The activities will take place in 5 European countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Belgium).
I had the opportunity to represent Pro Progressione and attend the two and a half day intensive kick off meeting of this project in the Greek capital. It was my first time in Athens and I was expecting challenges but not expecting to be greeted with snowfall.
We started the first day at the office of the project leader company of Inter Alia, and met personally with all the partners: Inter Alia, in close cooperation with the not-for-profit organisations Sfera International, Open Space Foundation, CUMEDIAE and Pro Progressione will organise academies, capacity building trainings through giving the knowledge for artists of networking, market access and the skills for project planning.
We closed the first evening with a theatre experience, which was the premiere of ECHO III in a downtown theatre. It was wonderful to see the result and be a part of it.
The second and third days went by quickly and we gained a lot of new information and ideas. By the end of the third day, it was great to see everyone’s ideas coming together.
I believe that the secret to a successful project is based on the people who are involved and I am looking forward to working with such a great team!”
The project is led by Inter Alia and will be implemented in partnership with Sfera International, the Open Space Foundation, CUMEDIAE and Pro Progressione.