Photo: Laminarie DOM, Bologna, Italy. CC BY-SA 4.0 (click on image for Activity Report)
We work together
Global Grand Central is a unique platform for learning and exchange amongst social, cultural and artistic activists worldwide. We co-create an open system to share activity reports and lessons with each other.
Global Grand Central offers service to three types of users:
1 – Free individual user accounts (Hubs)
2 – Development-members of the Global Grand Central non-profit association
3 – Service to funders overseeing grants on the platform
Sign up here
We also offer consultancy work, workshops, seminars and trainings.
Contact us for more information.
More about what we do, and why:
The Idea(l) | The Problem | Evolving Solution(s) | Governance & Contacts | Code & Creative Commons | Background
The idea(l)
In local communities all around the world, activists in the form of artists, culture institutions, libraries, social organisers, community leaders, sports clubs and educators develop activities to make people understand and respect each other. Through inclusive projects we engage with communities and perform a delicate art built on empathy, creativity, and experience. These initiatives are fundamental to local and global societies and form the basis of human rights, social justice, and peace.
The ideal impact cycle, where we build on each others knowledge to become better.
In an ideal world, social actions work together for the same ends – we plan activities aware of previous experience and knowledge, act, evaluate and spread lessons in a never ending cycle. By learning from mistakes and successes we contribute to improved understandings – and a better world.
The problem
However, the current world of projects and learnings is not ideal. A number of systematic challenges stop us from building on each others knowledge between and across projects.
The impact cycle is broken, knowledge does not cross between projects.
Instead of sharing our learnings we compete with each other for funding, and our reports, evaluations, and hard earned lessons are lost or end up in binders and basements. For every new project we have to reinvent methods already created by others. We believe there is a better way. We believe we can work together to create better solutions.
Evolving solution(s)
In September 2017, Global Grand Central presented our research paper: “Mobilising Networks Through Web-based Archival Practice” at the ENCATC research conference in Brussels. It was based on our work across Europe, and built the argument for establishing a new bottom-up evaluation and reporting standard – designed to enable learning across peers. The Global Grand Central platform is built on its arguments.The paper outlined five challenges, and corresponding strategies to solve them. The five strategies are core priorities at Global Grand Central and continuously guide our design process.
– Read the full paper in the 8th ENCATC Research Session Book Proceedings (pages 165-188)
– Read our op-ed: “Lets change the system! Yes for real.” here
– Watch the whole presentation in the slideshow below (11 minutes)
Governance:
Global Grand Central non-profit
From September 1, 2017, the Global Grand Central platform is hosted by Global Grand Central non-profit, an association registered in Sweden (idéell förening with org.nr. 802509-5426). The association is tasked with researching, testing, and implementing long-term solutions for governance, technology and funding. We are currently working under a three year plan until 2021.
Read our full statutes here
From the statutes of Global Grand Central non-profit:
“In full respect of cultural rights,(*) and in order to reinforce a vibrant civil society, it is our objective to provide an open platform and living archives for learning and exchange amongst artistic, social and cultural activists worldwide.”
((*) With “cultural rights” we refer to Convention 2005 UNESCO, and Articles 1 and 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Working Board
Chair: Ferdinand Richard
International Culture Expert, Marseille, France
FerdRich@free.fr
Fanak Fund
Interview with Ferdinand Richard here
Coordinator: Marcus Haraldsson
Journalist, Steneby, Sweden
Not Quite and Haraldssonfoto
marcus@globalgrandcentral.net
Lead Developer: Christo de Klerk
Digital artist, Seattle, USA
Sudocity
christo@globalgrandcentral.net
Archives: Natalie Milbrodt
Metadata and community specialist, New York City, USA
Queens Borough Public Libraries and Queens Memory
natalie@globalgrandcentral.net
Code & Creative Commons
Come along to evolve forms, functions and designs!
Global Grand Central is an alive platform and a constant work in progress. It is built and co-designed by its users. You are welcome to contribute!
- When you see something that should be improved on the site, please use the red feedback button (on the right side of your screen)
- Our code is Open Source available through GitHub here, you are welcome to contribute to develop our forms here
- Texts and images are freely available to reuse as long as you state the origin, and also make them freely available. Technically speaking, this is a “Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 license”. You can find our reasoning, and how this relates to Copyright, in the Content part of our Terms of Service
Background:
Europe Grand Central
Europe Grand Central gathered experiences and lessons from 34 inclusive projects in 12 countries. Images above from Activities in Bologna, Lublin, Athens, Bremen, Vienna, Åmål and Casablanca, and “legacy partner” activities in New York, Tunis, and London.
Global Grand Central was developed as the result of ‘Europe Grand Central’ – an international collaboration project by seven independent European culture networks, theaters and art centers from six countries between 2015 and 2017. Concepts and functions were iterated to enable learning between very diverse experiences.
Until August 31, 2017, the platform was hosted by art center Not Quite in Fengersfors, Sweden, on a grant from the EU.
- Read more about the project, achievements, and Activities on the Europe Grand Central Hubs page
- Official EU, ‘Creative Europe’, project info and results here