Projects, Di+ onlus

The motivation of WE-Hope is to promote multiculturalism through sharing experiences of surviving crisis across generations, thus bringing ‘old’ Europe and ‘new’ Europe closer together in a common framework of hope for the future.

WHY WE-HOPE?

Across the continent from 1939 to 1945, civilians were subjected to several acts of barbarism. These events contributed to the establishment of the promotion of tolerance and peace in the twenty-first century. Significantly, the further into the past the Second World War recedes, the more ‘memory work’ about it there seems to be. Several initiatives and research programmes have already been set up to capture memories of crisis survivors for posterity. In more recent years, many newcomers have been accepted into European societies, some of them having fled intractable war-torn conditions across the Middle East and North Africa. There has not been an equivalent effort to capture their stories. Their arrival has raised many challenges and very little connection has so far been made between the ‘memory work’ of the Second World War and the memories of those who have more recently escaped war and conflict to find a refuge in Europe. We believe that bringing these stories into dialogue will contribute to a recognition of shared experiences that can promote a sense of common humanity and citizenship. There is also an additional intergenerational dimension, an intended dialogue (not necessarily face to face but certainly online) between elders and younger generations.

AIMS

In line with our general concept and objectives, our aims are to: Create resources and spaces to facilitate multicultural/multigenerational dialogue. Promote an inclusive model of building and using repositories of intangible heritage. Provide transnational experiences for artists and other cultural activists that will enhance their appreciation of the possibilities of promoting inclusion and multicultural dialogue in different and diverse settings. Deepen understanding of migrants’ and refugees’ perspectives regarding engagement with art and cultural heritage, as creators (artists) and consumers (audiences), in European contexts

CO-FUNDED by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union PARTNERSHIP consists of two higher education institutions (the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the University of Lincoln (UoL), three cultural associations (Memoro, Greek Bank of Memories, Michael Culture AISBL (MCA) and a social enterprise, Threshold Studios. ASSOCIATE PARTNER Lapsus, DI + ONLUS, Manchester Refugee Support Network (MRSN). Together are located in four EU countries: Greece, Italy, Belgium and the UK.

RUNS October 2019 - September 2022

we-hope.eu