Creative Waves – Baltic Sisterhood for Change

Intercult productions (as project leaders), Euroregion Baltic, Baltic Sea Culture Institute in Gdansk, Kaliningrad team of activists and Estonian Women’s Studies and Resource Centre ENUT present a new BSR project aiming at empowering representatives of most vulnerable groups, especially women, in the ever digitalising times of pandemia and postpandemia. Together, we – women experts and participants –  want to build a feeling of identity, belonging, continuity and agency. We are reaching out to women artists, activists and creatives who may feel isolated, depressed and at a loss as the result of COVID-19 restrictions and the world moving more and more towards digital relations. Using tools of culture and traditional cultural activities we plan to bring traditions and demands of current times together.  Basing on intangible cultural heritage of the BSR and its localities such as embroidery, weaving, herb gathering, cooking close to nature, singing or producing music, we want to create bonds and exchanges both in physical and virtual reality. As the result of local real life workshops and online exchanges and meeting we will produce a tool kit as guidance for further use which will base on the joint pool of experience and a special survey. In our work we will use circular approach promoting the EU Green Deal, EUSBSR and Sustainable Development Goals. The ultimate goal is to create stronger, healthier and more resilient society with everybody on board.as well as a friendlier physical and digital space.

Empowering women in the Baltic Sea Region by meeting traditional crafts, local traditions and customs etc with the digital modern world and its demands for change is our goal.  Women active in knitting, weaving, storytelling, herb gathering or traditional cooking gather online with creative and digital women experts to get more confidence, show their achievements and learn about the digital world and tools to help them function in the COVID times and beyond. They also meet at international events (online and in flesh) to exchange experience, learn, even more, look together for Baltic traditions and identity. Hopefully in arranging the events while implementing the project its partners will bring together more experienced women and the youth as well as migrant women – to enrich the exchange and help participants be more rooted, open and self-assured. The project is also to help learn about and implement EU key policies like EU Green Deal, European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Partners

Funded by:

ENUT’s activities:

Article about crafts and digital tools in Estonia

International webinar “Women empowerment near and far Creative Waves” 06. september 2022

Conference “Talks to Empower” 25.–27. september 2022 in Gdansk Poland. Presentation

Suggestions by ENUT for Empowerment of Women and Girls

Evaluation of the project Creative Waves by ENUT

Project’s homepage

A toolkit that presents the project’s activities, results and gives recommendations for other similar projects.