Working together for new structures and sustainable solutions

Introduction

Increasingly, our societies are in need of meaningful partnerships and collaborations. We need new structures and principles that are organised in such a way so as to be capable of addressing the complex interconnected problems that we face today. We must promote a collaborative ethos, and find ways of working together in a range of partnerships.

We at the Centre for Creative Communities believe that the people who can most make a difference in our society are those who have the capacity for thinking and acting creatively in political, economic, social and cultural life. A creative approach can overcome the limitations of traditional boundaries, can facilitate innovative partnerships, and can invite diversity to blossom.

Unfortunately, there has been little rigorous research that demonstrates the connection between creativity and the development of sustainable communities. Therefore, in order to push forward research and analysis in this area, the Centre for Creative Communities conducted a European Mapping and Consultation Initiative entitled Creative Community Building through Cross Sector Collaboration. The initiative aims to describe and analyse the complex picture emerging, as reflected both in the current shift towards policies that combine social and cultural objectives, and in the new forms of multidisciplinary practice. You are welcome to read the chapters of this report in our Mapping Room.

In addressing this shift towards a new collaborative infrastructure and its new organising principles, we have arranged the Collaborative Linking and Thinking section of our Reading Room under various topics (see below). We hope that our Reading Room will provide users with challenging research papers, methodologies, book reviews, case studies and general information with which to assess interdisciplinary methods and move forward with collaborative partnerships.

The Centre for Creative Communities believes that creativity, the arts and culture can and should play a pivotal role in restructuring our society, through innovation, creativity, participation and heritage.

Reading Room Topics:

CCC’s Work contains the Centre’s work in this area.

Community Development addresses what collaboration can mean for building our communities.

Crossing Sector Boundaries looks into the development of collaborative partnerships between various sectors such as health, social services, youth/education and the arts.

Cultural Policy analyses approaches to cultural policy, and considers policies that address culture’s role within other sectors, on a national and international scale.

Leadership addresses implications for structures, training and systems, in moving forward to a collaborative framework.

The Role of New Technologies questions new media’s role in organising a new infrastructure for our society, and a new way of thinking for our people.

Urban and Rural Development looks at regeneration through hybrid partnerships.

	Collaborative Linking & Thinking
	Citizenship & Diversity
	Creativity & Learning