CULTUR-EXPPLATFORM DISTRICT GOVERNMENT BURGAS Third project meeting Yerevan

The CULTURe EXchange Platform project is implemented under the European Union’s Black Sea Basin Joint Operational Programme. The project started on 1 July It involves organizations from five countries: Georgia, Greece, Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Moldova. The project duration is 24 months; the EU funding is 295 KEUR.

The overall objective of the project is to enable the cross-border exchange of culture by providing an innovative, multi-lingual IT platform, based on available open source social platform solutions and adapted for culture producers (artists), culture operators (museums, festivals, etc.) and other actors of the culture market. The platform will be an online tool, where all entities related to the culture will be able to advertise, discuss and organize cultural assets and events in the region.

District government Burgas Implemented project activities for the period May 2014 – March 2015

GA4 Preparation and migration of cultural content to the platform (1-24 Months) GA4 is led by BURGAS and involves content specialists from BURGAS and AMAP, as well as an IT specialist from GRENA. During the implementation of the project they will select and process the relevant content and will upload it to the platform. Burgas team has gathered detailed information and contacts of libraries, community centers, publishing houses, book stores, press and media, theatre, cinemas, museums, galleries, clubs, NGOs and associations in the fields of culture from the region of Burgas. Burgas team has also contacted some national organizations. A database has been created and new contacts have been added to it regularly.

55 users form Bulgaria are registered and use the platform (indicators of achievement 50 culture producers and 5 culture operators registered and using the platform)

21 individuals have sent signed letters of support: Vasil Borisov (painter), Kalina Vergieva (poet), Vili Koleva, Rada Chomakova (pianist), Krasimira Chervenkova, Nenko Chanev (painter), Mariana Pramatarova (poet, publicist), Donka Vladimirova (art manager), Aneta Manasieva (art manager), Ludmila Kutieva (manager Culture center “Sea Casino” Burgas), Galina Usheva (photographer), Kiril Arnaudski (Sozopol Foundation), architect Yavor Dichev (chairman of Association “In the memory of the ancestors”), Daniela Yotova, Kostadin Statev, Emanuil Arnaudov (manager art center “Compass”), Milen Nikolov, Donka Bruseva, Stanka Buhtieva, Veselin Mitkov Romanov, Vesko Ivanov Paunov.

18 organizations have sent signed letters of support: History museum Malko Turnovo, Association “Social center Burgas”, Gallery “Bogoridi” Burgas, Regional library “P. Yavorov” Burgas, Regional History Museum Blagoevgrad, Community center “Svetlina” – 1939 Pomorie, Community center “Bratstvo” Kustendil, Community center “Probuda”-1961 Kustendil, Regional Library “Stiliyan Chilingirov” Shumen, Community center “Razvitie” Dryanovo, Regional Library “Sava Dobroplodni” Sliven, Culture center- museum “Trakart”-Plovdiv, Russian culture-informational center Sofia, Community center “Napreduk”-1895 Radomir, Community center “Drujba”-1898 Durankulak, British culture center Burgas, Gallery “Palitra” Sofia, Foundation “Golden Fish”.

Communication with the users of the platform Constant contact with the users of the platform (letters, press-releases, project newsletters, etc.); Project tutorial (PDF file translated in Bulgarian language and video file with recorded Bulgarian voice) sent to all users of the platform. The Culture coordinator assistant 2 examined the ways for arranging of the video file, the necessary software and recorded a Bulgarian voice of the video file. In this way all users from Bulgaria will be able to use in full value the possibilities of the culture platform; Questionnaire for feedback – the users will answer how they have learned about the platform for culture exchange, what is their overall rate for it, what information they would like to find on the platform, do they encounter any difficulties using the platform, what information they would like to find on the platform, etc.

Organized meetings with the users Active campaign for attracting cultural producers and operators in the region in providing their presence and content to the platform. Meetings with experts in the fields of culture from the municipalities in district Burgas; Meeting with the organizations signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the fields of culture; On spot meetings with new culture organizations and individuals from district Burgas that still do not have profile on the platform for culture exchange.

Content preparation workshop Taking into account that migration is one of the most important parts from the successful implementation of the project, content workshop was organized in Burgas. The workshop was attended by representatives of all partners’ organizations. The workshop had two parts: In the first one IT expert from GRENA explained the platform functionalities to the partners and train them how to use the platform (“train the trainers”) in order to be educated and able to support the culture producers and operators in the delivery of culture content. In the second part of the workshop IT specialist from BURGAS trained the representatives of different culture organization from the region, as well as individual artists how to use the platform.

Content preparation workshop Burgas I part

Content preparation workshop Burgas II part

Connection with future users Although there are many registered users from Burgas the project team keeps gathering new users constantly. By this moment we have contacts of more than 2000 culture providers from Bulgaria – from other regions and on national level -libraries, community centers, publishing houses and bookstores, press, museums, galleries, culture centers and institutes, associations, foundations in the fields of culture, cinemas, theaters, opera halls, orchestras, individual artists and unions. Information about the project will be sent and all interested will have the opportunity to sign a Letter of support and join the platform. In the next period Burgas team plans to continue gathering contacts and pay special attention to individual artists. The database with all of these contacts could be published on the platform in the section Useful links where it will be easily accessible for the users of the platform.

Regular update of the information about the project on the official web page of District government Burgas Regular update of the profile of District government Burgas on the platform Pictures of festivals from the municipalities in district Burgas Video clip for the tourism in district Burgas Short description of the region – history, traditions, etc. Short presentation of St. Anastasia island

District government Burgas 1 “Tsar Petar” str. Telephone: /

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE ATTENTION!