New report from the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators chronicles how the annual convening in Austria is building a dynamic and impactful global network
“With more than 250 Young Cultural Innovators now connected in communities around the world, the YCI Forum is one of the most dynamic and impactful global cultural networks and a dynamic creative catalyst for innovation, civic transformation, and social change worldwide,” says Susanna Seidl-Fox, Salzburg Global Seminar’s Program Director for Culture & the Arts.
Now entering its fifth year, the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators (YCI Forum) held its fourth annual session at Schloss Leopoldskron in October 2017.
The global reach of Fellows now extends from Adelaide, Australia, to Valletta, Malta, and 21 cities – called “YCI Hubs” – in between. The 2017 Young Cultural Innovators (YCIs) hailed from 13 countries, with each participant facing unique challenges, tied to their specific heritage and industry. They were met with 10 facilitators and five speakers, and the committed staff of Salzburg Global Seminar.
Despite their geographical distances and differences in practice, the YCIs, the facilitators and speakers are intimately connected. A commitment to the arts and cultural sector, and shared ideals of community and justice make this a cohort of peers whose differences act not as barriers, but as bridges. The YCIs see themselves in a global context. They engage in international discourse without losing sight of their own communities.
The new report from the latest session, written by returning YCI Sanja Grozdanic, chronicles the week’s events including the plenary presentations, skills-building workshops, small group discussions and vibrant “Open Space” events, organized by the YCIs themselves.
“I have been in search of a world city that has intellectuals, artists and those trying to make the world better through their work, I have come to find that unlike the past there isn’t just one place for all these people they are spread out throughout the world and it really takes seminars like this to bring them together,” explains Yasmine Omari from the Memphis YCI Hub in Tennessee, USA.
Linda Kaoma, from the Cape Town YCI Hub in South Africa adds: “I am walking away better equipped to continue to do my work as an artist, cultural practitioner and leader in my community and with a strong affirmation to always lead with the heart. Salzburg Global Seminar has introduced me to new friends, colleagues, accountability partners and future collaborators from all over the world.”
The report includes many more testimonials from Fellows, as well as all their bios and those of the session facilitators and guest speakers.
Download the report as a PDF (low-res)
To receive a hi-res edition of the report, please email press[at]salzburgglobal.org
The Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators IV is part of a ten-year multi-year series. This year's program is supported by the Albanian-American Development Foundation, American Express, Arts Council Malta, Cambodian Living Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, Edward T. Cone Foundation, Fulbright Greece, Japan Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, Adena and David Testa, and the U.S. Embassy Valetta, Malta. More information on the session can be found here. More information on the series can be found here.