Connected Action for the Commons

Connected Action for the Commons is an action-research programme and network with six cultural organisations from across Europe and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) as collaborating hubs.

Across Europe, we see new forms of cultural cooperation by citizens and communities who are developing alternative and participatory democratic practices. This specific act of ‘commoning’ as a collective venture of co-development and co-government of everything we hold in common is dramatically changing the way we look at our societies. At the same time, the emergence of ‘The Commons’ as an alternative value system is challenging the duopoly of state and market. This new paradigm is based on a belief in societies with greater equality, sustainability and solidarity.

Culture can and does play a vital role in many of these movements. Acting as a stimulus for development, new values are being shared and ‘tested’ through cultural practice. Cultural and immaterial goods are being produced and distributed through commons-based approaches and affect different strands of society (social, economic and environmental)

Connected Action for the Commons is a network and action research programme initiated in 2013 by European Cultural Foundation (ECF) together with six cultural organisations from across Europe: Culture 2 Commons – Alliance Operation City, Clubture Network, Right to the City – (Croatia), Les Tetes de l’Art (France), Krytyka Polityczna (Poland), Oberliht (Moldova), Platoniq – Goteo (Spain), and Subtopia (Sweden).

It works on topics linked with the commons such as public space, culture and democracy as a group and in independent, diverse activities. They are co-developing and exchanging expertise as a network and engaging their local communities into the work they do. The aim is to scale up their activities, combine their influence, highlight and connect new practices with European policy makers and gain knowledge from each other.

The topics that at the moment interest them most and inspire their activities are:

Open Institutions – Developing new types of institutions, as well as developing new type of governance of the existing ones, inclusive and opened for participation of different social actors, directed towards strengthening democracy and the role of citizen.

Inclusive Citizenship – Exploring possible innovative or alternative ways, areas, methodologies to empower citizens, build engagement, motivate social movements but also to translate their efforts and capacities into a social change.

Public Infrastructure – Thinking and acting to maintain and create a durable public infrastructure (platforms, tools, institutions, devices, both on-line and offline) that will nurture the commons.