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How can cultural offerings strengthen social participation in rural regions? This question was the focus of the expert forum "Cultural offerings strengthen participation in rural regions" at the 18th Future Forum for Rural Development. Organized by six research projects of the initiative "Faktor K - Forschung zum Faktor Kultur in ländlichen Räumen" and the programme office "Dritte Orte" (NRW), the event offered a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and knowledge transfer.
The participating projects, ranging from regional development and urban planning to museum studies, presented their results to date. One example: The KULT_Ressource project of the Thünen Institute showed how cultural workers can not only strengthen the quality of life and social cohesion by organizing cultural offerings, but also contribute to image building and tourism promotion.
In interactive discussion islands, participants from research, practice, administration and politics discussed options for action and conducive framework conditions. Projects such as KLEINaberFEIN (University of Jena) and LAKUTEZU (BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg) made it clear that recurring event formats and active networking are crucial for successful participation.
The results of the research projects are not only presented at specialist forums, but are also disseminated in specialist articles, handouts and through cultural cafés and social media. The aim of the "Faktor K" funding measure is to make the knowledge gained available to a wide range of stakeholders and thus sustainably strengthen cultural and social development in rural regions.