Rural Regions in Brandenburg Reap Funding Boost from "Aller.Land" Program
Seven rural areas across Brandenburg will benefit from the nationwide "Aller.Land" funding program, as announced by the Ministry of Culture. The selected regions include the Britz-Chorin-Oderberg district in Barnim, the Kyritz region in Ostprignitz-Ruppin, and the districts of Elbe-Elster, Märkisch-Oderland, Oberspreewald-Lausitz, Uckermark, and Oder-Spree in Brandenburg.
The primary goal of the "Aller.Land" program is to promote camaraderie in rural areas through cultural and creative projects and boost their development through active citizen involvement. Each of the chosen regions will initially receive 40,000 euros in 2024 to design participation-based cultural initiatives like cultural networks, cross-regional festivals, citizens' committees, regional cultural conferences, or cultural offices.
In the following stage, top project proposals will be selected for implementation and additional funding from 2025 to 2030 under the "Aller.Land" program. By prioritizing community involvement, the initiative aims to create a more engaging and resilient rural community.
Driving Change in Rural Areas
To facilitate change in rural areas, several community-oriented initiatives and programs are worth mentioning:
- Dorfbewegung Brandenburg: This initiative emphasizes dialogue, participatory politics, and building community networks. With four working groups focused on communal politics, energy transition, digitalization, and mobility, Dorfbewegung Brandenburg strives to foster social involvement and self-empowerment in rural communities.
- Parlament der Dörfer: This unique rural parliamentary body serves as a platform for dialogue between villages, politics, administration, and the public. By contributing to policy-making and making substantial statements on local issues, the parlament der Dörfer plays a significant role in shaping rural communities.
- Ehrenamt und Bürgerbeteiligung: This initiative encourages civic engagement in various forms, such as volunteering, supporting neighbors, or engaging in cultural activities. By promoting democratic participation for all, irrespective of age, origin, or social background, this program aims to create a thriving, involved community.
- Netzwerkstrukturen: To strengthen and extend rural networks, this program provides a toolkit to improve collaboration and community project implementation.
- European Rural Parliament: The initiative plans to support the organization of the European Rural Parliament, ensuring rural communities can collaborate and share knowledge on an international scale.
Although these initiatives predominantly focus on community development and civic engagement, they indirectly support cultural and creative projects by fostering community involvement and locally driven initiatives.
As the "Aller.Land" program progresses, we can expect to witness a surge of creative and cultural projects enriching rural communities in Brandenburg.
