NGO Аgency for support of cultural initiatives "Tranzit", Tranzit Kaliningrad region, culture Kaliningrad region, Culture

In cooperation with partners Tranzit implements projects aimed at promoting culture as a resource for social and economic development of the Kaliningrad region and stirring up cultural life in the region.

Since 2003 Tranzit and the European Cultural Foundation run a long-term cultural management capacity building program aimed at professional development of cultural managers of the Kaliningrad region, strengthening cultural institutions and optimization of cultural policy in the region. There have been organized a number of public discussions, international conferences and seminars on the issues of cultural policy, development, international cultural cooperation and the reform of cultural institutions in Russia. Besides, for the directors and senior managers of the region’s most active cultural institutions a long-term training program in cultural management involving leading European and Russian experts was organized. In parallel to attending training sessions participants prepared strategic development plans for their institutions. Some of the training program’s participants were further trained as trainers and have already started transferring their experience to colleagues from Kaliningrad and other regions.

In 2008 Tranzit and European Cultural Foundation organized three study tours for 20 Kaliningrad cultural managers in the framework which they visited over 200 cultural institutions in Germany, Denmark, Latvia. Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Participants had an opportunity to explore specific character of each potential partner and discuss perspectives for cooperation. Return visit of more than 70 European partners to the Kaliningrad region was organized in June 2009.

Significant part of the above mentioned activities has been organized in the frame of the projects «Innovative Strategies for Local Development: Capacity Building for Cultural Institutions in the Kaliningrad region» (2006-2007) and «Developing New Creative Management Capacities for Regional Cultural Cooperation between the Kaliningrad Oblast and the Baltic Sea States» (2008-2009). The projects were organized by Tranzit and ECF in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the Kaliningrad Region and the Association of Cultural Managers (Russia) with the financial support from the European Union and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Atlas of Cultural Resources of the Kaliningrad region, the Navigator for those who are searching for partners in the field of arts and culture in the Kaliningrad region and the collection of articles on ongoing reforms of public cultural institutions in Russia and issues of quality of cultural services were published in the framework of these projects.

In 2007-2008 Tranzit was assisting Kaliningrad dancer and curator Svetlana Sploshnaya in promoting dance and movement therapy as a tool for rehabilitation of handicapped children and young people, their socialization and personal development. Two projects were implemented thanks to the grant provided in accordance with the Decree of the RF President № 367-р (30.06.2007) and the financial support from NGO Development Centre (St.-Petersburg): «One and the Same Sky: Rehabilitation of Young Handicapped People by Using Artistic Means» (2008) and «Unlimited Opportunities: Dance and Movement Workshop for Young Handicapped People» (2007). Leading Russian specialists transferred their expertise to Kaliningrad professionals working with handicapped people in the framework of master-classes on dance and movement therapy. Dance and movement sessions for handicapped children were arranged in several towns of the Kaliningrad region. Besides, two leaflets on the subject were published. In result of these initiatives Svetlana Sploshnaya has managed to establish on the basis of the municipal Centre for Children and Young People «Na Molodoezhnoy» the first and the only (as of today) in Kaliningrad dance and movement workshop for young handicapped people.

In 2006-2007 Tranzit facilitated participation of young people from Kaliningrad in the international art camp in the village of Rothenklempenow (Germany), organized by Inab Ausbildungs- und Beschäftigungsgesellschaft, Europäische Jugendwerkstatt Rothenklempenow. The program of the camp included workshops in singing, sculpture, visual and applied arts, theater and dance. Among participants – young people from Poland, Germany and the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation.

In 2003 Tranzit hosted the international project SEAS in the Kaliningrad region. The project was initiated and organized by Intercult (Stockholm, Sweden) and locally hosted by Tranzit in cooperation with the Administration of Svetlogorsk Municipality, Kaliningrad Branch of the National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Kaliningrad Museum of Amber and Kaliningrad Art School for Children.

Today SEAS is a platform bringing together artists form the Black and North seas. But at that time, in 2003, it was travelling along the shores of the Baltic and Adriatic seas (Kaliningrad, Svetlogorsk, Riga, Liepaja, Klaipeda, Gdansk, Ljubljana). The program in Kaliningrad and Svetlgorosk included Popular Mechanics workshop for children (Skart, Serbia), installation AV-com by Davide Grassi (Italy) and Mikael Lundberg (Sweden), open-air dance performance Bari (Flota, Slovenia) an open air dance performance on the beach Mice the desert (Impasto, Italy). More about SEAS at www.intercult.se, www.seas.se.