Karel Komárek Family Foundation’s Post

Three months ago, we started Nightlife Boost with Fermaten and Herning Kommune around a common concern of seeing many students living outside of Herning while studying in the city 😱 In one week, three experimental projects created through the program will participate during Kulturfest, which is very exciting! It also prompted us to reflect on our research, and the "compass of needs" based on insights from young residents, which our participants used to design their projects 🔎 It's worth detailing each piece of the compass a bit, since it probably applies to more nightlife scenes than just Herning's: . Amplify the local cultural mix 🏳️🌈/ If we want diversity, it needs to be visible. Otherwise, a tricky interplay of blind-spots can make a community look more monotonous than it actually is. . Challenge the urban and natural spaces 🌲/ There's untapped potential in the existing spaces within the city. It's tempting to claim for new infrastructure, but people can be as willing to re-think what a square, a boulevard or a pub can offer to them. . Mobilize people to be creative too 🤹♂️/ It's natural to expect active creative people to lead the scene. But attendees also seek for co-creation, and not just consumption. Enabling co-creation can be a strong attractor and binder. . Combine creativity with safety & inclusion 👐/ Creative content can also be intimidating. An enriching experience can come across as bombastic or exclusive if it doesn't overlap enough with different people's comfort-zones, so they dare to join. . Create the unexpected 💥/ Most of us value routines, but surprises can be refreshing and invigorating. An experience that defies your sense of possibility can be deeply inspiring and needed. We'll pay close attention to how the community reacts to this initiatives, and iterate on the future implementation of Nightlife Boost 2.0 🎯

This Christmas, as we gather to celebrate, let’s reflect on the power of building bridges. Not just those lit with fairy lights during this period of the year but those built to mend divides! My recent study by Czesław Adamiak, PAWEŁ CHURSKI and other colleagues at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań highlights how polarisation within societies —whether between urban cores and rural peripheries or other divides— threatens cohesion and unity. Yet, it also reveals the potential for renewal through deliberate acts of reconciliation. The greatest gift we can offer this season isn’t wrapped in ribbons; it’s the commitment to dialogue and understanding. By addressing grievances and forging connections, we can transform division into unity and discontent into shared hope. Let’s carry this spirit of bridge-building into the year ahead —for our communities, workplaces, and the world we hope to create. Inspired by "Places that matter and places that don’t: territorial revenge and counter-revenge in Poland" (https://lnkd.in/dP7VeR6D)

Today, April 23rd, marks a profoundly joyful and significant celebration in Türkiye—National Sovereignty and Children's Day. This unique holiday not only commemorates the establishment of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in 1920 but also embodies the nation's dedication to its youngest citizens and future leaders. Founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of modern Türkiye, this day reflects a pioneering vision: entrusting the nation's future to the nurturing and protection of its children. Across Türkiye, the day bursts into life with vibrant parades, lively performances, and activities that spotlight children's talents and dreams. Schools host ceremonies where children take on roles as government officials, symbolically governing the country for the day. This empowering tradition highlights the importance of educating and inspiring the next generation, reinforcing their pivotal role in shaping the future. As we observe the elation of 23 April, it's a heartwarming reminder that children are not just the leaders of tomorrow but the joyful hope of today. Türkiye’s celebration extends an important message to the world: honoring children means fostering an environment of respect, rights, and opportunities for all young people. This day is a beautiful expression of hope and a brighter future, emphasizing that the well-being of children is a universal value worth celebrating worldwide.

Watch as one of our co-founders Sandy AbdelRahman explains what the Noria Collective is all about during our latest workshop! The name of the collective is the word for waterwheel in many languages, including Catalan and Spanish, which comes from the Arabic word naura. Linking the co-founders’ Latin American and Arab ancestries. A noria is a machine that transforms the energy of water into useful forms of power. The energy of the water turns the wheel, and in turn, this energy is transformed into a useful outcome through the strength of the interaction of the wheel and nature. At Noria Collective, we harness the strengths of individuals and organisations in society to empower underrepresented communities.

"'Indelible Memory: 20 Years of Tak Bai' - A Commemorative Exhibition in Narathiwat, Thailand This exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Tak Bai incident, exploring its lasting impact on Thailand's Deep South and those who affected by the incident. It addresses the approaching statute of limitations, ongoing human rights concerns, and the persistent culture of impunity.  Through ordinary memory objects and personal narratives, the exhibition aims to foster dialogue, promote understanding, and advocate for justice and reconciliation in the region."

Click the link below to find and follow HakiElimu, our partner who is launching the study report on Urban Education in Tanzania.

>> We are proud to present to you our editorial 'The Transversal Festival: How the Widespread Event Map Redefines and Gives Meaning to the Cultural, Social, and Urban Territory': Carlo Settimio Battisti & Federico Sacco, "The Transversal Festival: How the Widespread Event Map Redefines and Gives Meaning to the Cultural, Social, and Urban Territory," Radical Creativities, no. 1 (December 2024): 63-69. "How can the festival apparatus be associated with the concept of urban and cultural regeneration? The festival can exist within projects promoted and curated by real territorial communities (such as associations, cooperatives, informal collectives, and nonprofit organizations) that create a program participated in by various entities. We can define this apparatus as a transversal festival : a cultural offering that reflects the 1 representational needs of places. When these entities create a virtuous circuit, intertwining in some cases with Public Administration or receiving funding from private entities, they do not lose their cultural value but settle in a segment of the city determined by its geographic location and its inhabitants." Check out the full editorial on our website! #festival #urbanspace #radicalcreativities

Centering Indigenous Voices in America’s 250th Commemorations As America prepares to mark its 250th anniversary in 2026, there is a critical opportunity to ensure Indigenous perspectives are genuinely included in the narrative. For many Indigenous peoples, July 4th, 1776, does not signify liberty but the beginning of significant loss—land, lives, and culture—due to colonial expansion. Museums, galleries, libraries, and archives (GLAM) must take this moment to become spaces for truth, reconciliation, and learning by integrating Indigenous voices not as tokens but as essential partners. Indigenous histories extend far beyond 1776, encompassing thousands of years of knowledge, culture, and governance that continue to influence the continent. However, mainstream institutions often sideline these histories or present them as relics of the past. Excluding Indigenous perspectives from the 250th commemorations would perpetuate an incomplete and inaccurate history. To authentically honor America’s shared history, institutions must engage in meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities, allowing them to tell their stories without the constraints of colonial narratives. This milestone is an opportunity to reframe American history, highlighting the resilience, survival, and contributions of Indigenous peoples. True inclusivity demands sustained commitment, ensuring the voices of the Original Peoples are central in shaping the narrative of this historic event.

What do BridgeUSA programs mean to you? What does it mean for America? If you don't know, BridgeUSA programs promote U.S. foreign diplomacy through various opportunities, where both Americans and Foriengn Countryman connect, share ideas, learn from one another and build life long relationships. I can't express how important it is to not just us as a nation, I'm knee deep in seeing the amazing impacts of these programs. The development individuals experience on a personal and professional level is amazing. Don't just sign this, but help advocate for FY25 (Fiscal Year 2025) funding of these programs. These funds not only help us in on the ground, but it helps these programs have the proper oversight from the top down! #exchangesmatter

Cooperatives are such an added value to our communities, ecomomy, cultures, and future. Cooperatives - center people first. What’s good for all involved, pooling resources together to spread the good, what are acts that have sustainable effects, instead of refractive effects, decisions that work to better lives, not strictly profit from them. Coops exist in so many facets of our lives. Whenever possible - choose a Co-op! • Credit Unions (don’t have outside stockholders - members are the collective shareholders - decisions benefit the members/membership) • Grocery Co-ops (like PCC, Central Co-op) • Home care co-ops • Electric Co-ops • Agricultural Co-ops • Retail co-ops (Ace Hardware) • Worker-Owner Co-op (growing trend among businesses where owners are aging out and selling business to employees collectively) • Housing Co-ops …. And much more. Worth celebrating. Wanna have a positive impact - join a Co-op!