Expert supervised development of approaches for social change in the Karosta

From 19 to 22 February, Liepāja was the venue for a workshop held in the framework of the “Future DiverCities” project, led by Adam Jagiello-Rusilowski, a professor, certified coach, scholar, social innovator, expert in design thinking, innovation management and challenge navigation, as well as Senior Academic Advisor of INNOCAMP.PL, which is the project’s partner organisation from Poland.

The workshop was attended by Agita Auza, “Future DiverCities” project manager in Liepāja and representatives of creative organisations in the Karosta, among them Madars Markus-Narvils, owner of the Culture Venue “Awakening Garden”, Monta Krafte, representative of the “Karosta Prison”, Baiba Vigule and Kristīna Lieģeniece, both representatives of the association “BaringtonsK”, Elīna Saldovere, NGO expert of the Health Promotion and Public Participation Department at the Liepāja City Municipality, Anna Priedola, new media artist and academic scholar at the Art Research Laboratory of the University of Liepāja and new media art students Anna Agape Lendele, Jekaterina Jevdokimova and Kaspars Lēvalds from the University of Liepāja.

“This was the perfect opportunity for the participants to meet a highly influential professional in the field of social change and innovation pedagogy. By means of unusual, creativity-enhancing, sometimes playful tasks, not only did we elaborate the project’s future activities, but also got inspiration and advice for our personal and professional growth,” says Agita Auza, International Relations and Cultural Policy Project Manager at the Liepaja Culture Department.

Adam explored the goals and challenges of the “Future DiverCities” project, learned about Karosta’s history and environmental diversity, and was keen to find out more about the daily activities of the organisations and individuals involved in the project. Following this, we used innovative design thinking methods to determine whether the project’s goals and actions would lead to or contribute to social change in society. Adam Jagiello-Rusilowski says: “We can bring a wonderful artist to an event, but if it doesn’t have a lasting social impact, or if it doesn’t provide participants with a new and broadened experience, then it’s money down the drain!”

Lessons learned and ideas generated during the workshop will be implemented in the upcoming “Future DiverCities” activities that will take place in the summer and autumn of this year in Karosta.

Please follow the project progress, activities, and free online training at https://future-divercities.eu/  In addition, we kindly encourage you to use the “Resources” section of the website to check out the training that has already taken place.

As announced earlier, the “Future DiverCities” project, implemented by the Liepāja Culture Department as part of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, will explore and develop environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches for culture-led exploration and revitalisation of city's vacant territories, preserving their ecological value. All project activities will be organised until 2026 in nine European cities – Berlin (Germany), Zagreb and Split (Croatia), Kuopio (Finland), Marseille (France), Florence (Italy), Timişoara (Romania), Elefsina (Greece) and also Liepāja.

The Liepāja leg of the project is organised by the Liepāja Municipality Culture Department.

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