The overall project idea and outline

1. The overall projectidea and outline

2. My hidden agenda I came up with the idea for thisproject for primarily3 reasons: • AKKS needs to strengthenourpolitical arguments showing the politicianswhyamateur arts is important • I find the subjectinformallearning in arts veryinteresting but veryunderexposed and difficult to put intowordswhenaskedabout it • The nordicnetwork in amateurculture has becomequiteweaksince the nordiccultural program wasrevised. In my opinion it needs to berebuilt.

3. The projectoutline • The purpose of this project is to establish a Nordic/Baltic network of amateur artists/organisations, that will function as a platform for exhange of experience and knowledge of the informal learning that takes place in amateur arts. • During a series of 4-5 meetings/workshops in 2013-14 organisations from the field of amateur arts in the Nordic/Baltic region will share, gather and develop knowledge and experience of the informal learning taking place in amateur culture • The outcome of information and knowledge from the meetings will form as the basis of the network and hopefully lead to the establishing of a website and the dissemination of information to our organisations and the public.

4. NORDPLUS 2013 program options For a projectlikethistherereally is onlyone option for support within the 2013 NORDPLUS program: Its under the collaboration program: Thematicnetworks

5. ThematicNetwork The aim for thematicnetworks is to give organisations involved in adultlearning the opportunity to form networks and more permanent relationships and partnerships The overall criteriasfor obtaining support are: • The participants must work on a joint theme by way of a given problem or challengedefined by the parties • A detailedworkschedule with clear aims and expectedoutcome has to bepresented with the application • The networkactivitymust leadto new understanding and ideas • Can last up til 3 years

6. Financial part of a thematicnetwork The financial part of a networkproject is somewhatcomplicated. The grant is based on a budget of the estimatedactualcostsfor all organisations. The maximum grant is 50.000 Euro: • The NORDPLUS grantsonlycover up to 75% of the approvedcosts in a budget = 25% must beself or co-financed • In kind contributionscanhoweverbeincluded in the selffinancing • The costscoveredare: Travel and board, administration (5%), printedmaterials, establishing a web site, meetings, seminars, workhours put in to the project and translation BUT NOT: wages, costs for particpantsoutside the projectgroup, project overhead, equipment, activitiesog peopleoutsidethe Nordic/Balticcountries Exampleof template budget

7. Expectedcontributions Thematicnetworkapplication: • All participants must take part in the design of the application and give feed back on the application to the administrator • If youarehosting a national meeting youwill have to make a budget for the meeting in your country and send it to the administrator beforethe 15th of February2013 as the deadline is 1st of March 2013 • All participants must takepart in activitiesbetween the national meetings • All participants must take part in national meetings in othercountries • We must find peopleamongus to takeon tasks with the administration, evaluation and communicationof the project (i.e. website, photo, facebook, logo) • All participants must take part in the evaulation of the project

8. Decisions, decisions, decisions… In the nextfewhourswe have to design and agree on the outline of the overall project: • We must ensurewemean the same thingwhenwe speak aboutinformallearning in amateur arts • We must find out whatwillbe the themes of the national meetings/workshops • We must find out howwewillwork in between meetings • We must find out howwewillspread the results of ourproject • We must find out howwewillcommunicate • We must agree on the form of the national meetings I hope the nextfewhourswillclarify…but pleasekeep the NORDPLUS thematicnetworkprogram in mind – as it is the financiallimitation.