27 European cities met in Elefsina during June 9 and June 11 for the 9th conference of the Culture Next network. Designed as a space for exploration, the meeting offered the participating cities opportunities to connect with the Eleusis 2023 cultural programme and with relevant European networks and initiatives.
This was the first conference of the network ever hosted in a current European Capital of Culture. Elefsina was the first ECoC awarded city to see the potential and the urgency of supporting not awarded cities in the implementation of their programme and now they proved it once more. Current and former candidates, awarded or not, we believe that all the ECoC cities should put their programme into practice. Culture can really make a difference for us all – Ștefan Teișanu, Culture Next Secretary General
Just before its own meeting, Culture Next participated in the Culture Action Europe conference dedicated to the Culture for Health initiative, for the workshop ”Care cities: Enhancing Urban Well-Being through Culture”, designed to offer a quick overview on current endeavours and future possibilities to include the well-being component in local cultural strategies. On the same day, the Board and the Executive Team of Culture Next had their periodical Management & Policy Meeting, to discuss
June 10 was the public day of the Culture Next Conference, hosting cities presentations, an introduction to the Culture Next Plan, keynotes and workshops from external guest and visits to cultural events and venues in Elefsina. Beatriz Garcia from the University of Liverpool and the Centre for Cultural Value was the keynote speaker of the conference, with a presentation of the impact of the European Capital of Culture programmes, before Marta Llobet (UCLG Committee on Culture) and Fanny Bouquerel (Roberto Cimetta Fund) delivered two dedicated workshops: ”A cultural boost in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals” and respectively ”International mobility today”.
