ERB Executive Board meeting & Baltic Evening in Olsztyn.
On 9th December 2022, following the Annual Forum of ERB Stakeholders held in Olsztyn, the Euroregion Baltic Executive Board members met for the last time in 2022 to conclude the passing year, under the presidency of Warmia and Masuria Region. The meeting was hosted by ERB President, Mr Gustaw Marek Brzezin, Marshal of Warmia nad Masuria Region.
The Board discussed the ERB goals and activities implemented in 2022, future activities and steps planned for 2023 and above all, the future structure and further form of cooperation of the network.
The culmination of the two days meeting in Olsztyn, was the invitation from ERB President Mr Gustaw Marek Brzezin to the Baltic edition of a gala celebrating international cooperation of Warmia & Masuria Region.The meeting, organized in Kuźnia Społeczna in Olsztyn, started with the welcoming speeches from Marshal Brzezin & Mr Jacob Trøst, Mayor of Regional Municipality of Bornholm and ERB Vice President.
The highlight of the evening was the concert perfomed by artists from Bornholm – Helene Holm Nielsen & Torsten Borbye Nielsen, presenting some traditional Danish music.
It was a truly Baltic evening with great music from Bornholm & delicacies from around the Baltic Sea Region.
On 8 December 2022, the Annual Stakeholders Forum of the Euroregion Baltic was held in Olsztyn. The main topic of the Forum was counteracting climate change based on the experiences of Polish and foreign partners of the Euroregion Baltic.
The event was organised as a joint action with Sztum Circular Economy project conference in cooperation with project partners of the Association of Polish Communes ERB – the Municipality of Sztum, Gdansk University of Technology and partners from International Development Norway.
The Forum was opened by Mr Gustaw Marek Brzezin – Marshal of the Warmia and Masuria Region who currently holds the position of President in Euroregion Baltic, thus the Annual Stakeholders Forum was also a summary of his one-year presidency, which will continue until the end of 2022.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Bornholm (Denmark), swedish regions of Blekinge, Kronoberg and Kalmar, Pomorskie Region, and Warmia and Masuria Region.
This years Forum was supported by the thematic scope of the Sztum Circular Economy project. Many climate change experts from the region and project partners were involved in the discussion.
The keynote speech was given by prof. Krzysztof Czerwionka from Gdansk University of Technology, who shared his knowledge on the essence of a closed-loop economy – the impact on the environment, why we should pay attention to our small choices in everyday life to prevent drastic climate change, what we are threatened by and how to avoid negative environmental effects.
The conference followed with two thematic sessions. First discussion concerned ‘Closed-loop economy in practice: The road to a closed-loop economy (the sphere of production and planning, water resource management, recycling and waste as pillars of new project initiatives)’ and was conducted among experts from the Waste Management Facility in Denmark, International Development Norway, the City and Municipality of Sztum, the Water Key Group (Sweden) and a representative from the Department of Environmental Protection of the Marshal’s Office of Warmia and Masuria Region.
The second panel session tackled the topic of ‘Energy and the Closed-cycle Economy: Renewable energy sources as a catalyst for the introduction of a circular economy model’. This part of the discussion was held by representatives of the Regional Municipality of Bornholm, University of Warmia and Masuria in Olsztyn, Interreg South Baltic Programme office, and the Department of Environmental Protection of the Warmia and Masuria Region Marshal’s Office. In addition, forum participants had a chance to learn more about the Interreg South Baltic programme 2021-2027 and the Danish BOFA organisation.
The result of both discussions was the willingness of all participants to be involved and act within a Task Force on Combating Climate Change. Furthermore, the forum was also a meeting of the newly formed Circular Economy Task Force, which will bring together thematic experts in the field of combating climate change.
After one year of creative workshops, webinars and a fantastic closing event in Gdansk, the international project Creative Waves – Baltic Sisterhood for Change came to an end. Now it is time to present you the toolkit that includes all our findings and experience of this exciting project!
Creative Waves project under the leadership of Intercult Productions (Sweden), in cooperation with Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in Gdańsk and Estonian Women’s Studies and Resource Centre ENUT was supported by the CBSS Project Support Facility.
The project aimed at empowering representatives of vulnerable groups of women in the ever digitalising times of pandemia and postpandemia. Our goal was to jointly – women experts and participants – build a feeling of identity, belonging, continuity and agency. Creative Waves reached out to women artists, activists and creatives who may feel isolated, depressed and at a loss as the result of COVID-19 restrictions and the world moving more and more towards digital relations. Basing on intangible cultural heritage of the BSR and its localities such as embroidery, weaving, herb gathering, cooking close to nature, singing or producing music, we aimed at creating bonds and exchanges both in physical and virtual reality.
As the result of local real life workshops and online exchanges and meeting we developed a toolkit as guidance for further use which bases on the joint pool of experience and a special survey.
The project “Creative Waves – Baltic Sisterhood for Change”, a cooperation between Intercult from Sweden, Euroregion Baltic and Baltic Sea Cultural Centre from Poland, Estonian Women’s Studies and Resource Centre (ENUT), and activists from Kaliningrad Oblast, has come to an end. The aim of the project, was to empower women in the Baltic Sea Region by meeting traditional crafts, local traditions and customs etc. with the digital modern world and its demands for change.
The project final, powerful event was held in Gdansk, on 25th – 27th September in Baltic Sea Cultural Centre premises and partially online. “Talks to Empower” was a three-day series of meetings and accompanying events such as panel discussions with international women- experts , shows and workshops that took place at the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in Gdańsk.
The event kicked-off on 25th October in Gdańsk with some truly inspiring warm-up micro-workshops, shows & discussions with artists and craftswomen from Pomorskie Region, Warmia and Masuria Region and Sweden.
On the second day of the event, on September 26th, which was also streamed online (watch it here) participants had a chance to meet very inspiring women-experts from the Baltic Sea Region discussing on following topics:
“Creative Community Building upon Balticness: Role of Tradition and New Approaches” – panel discussion on Baltic Sea identity
“Empowered and Creative Women in the Modern World”
“Women Empowerment: Social Relations in Local Communities”
Our experts discussed female entrepreneurship and the importance of building supportive environments. Thanks to that, the project built a feeling of identity and belonging hoping this was a start of a larger movement of empowering women in local communities and the broader the Baltic Sea region!
On last day of the “Talks to Empower”, with guests from four countries of the Baltic Sea Region, we discussed female entrepreneurship and importance of building supportive environments. We focused on practical aspects of turning passion into profession and considered how to use sisterhood, empathy and solidarity to strengthen society. Traditional female activities (e.g. embroidery, jewelry making, herbalism) and their role in community building will serve as a point of departure for our future meetings.
All presentations from the panel discussions are available here.
All pictures by Agnieszka Domańska – Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in Gdańsk.
TALKS TO EMPOWER – STRONG, VISIONARY, ACTIVIST WOMEN & CRAFTS
Project „CREATIVE WAVES – BALTIC SISTERHOOD FOR CHANGE”, which key partner was Euroregion Baltic, comes to an end. Thus project partners have a great pleasure to invite for its official closing. The project is co-financed by the Council of the Baltic Sea States Project Support Facility.
The project fina event will be held in Gdansk, 25 – 27 September in Baltic Sea Cultural Centre and partially online. All sessions have separate registrations. You can find more information in the enclosed programme:
The event will conclude “Creative Waves – Baltic Sisterhood for Change”, the project co-organised in four countries of the Baltic Sea Region. As part of the project, experts in the field of new media and cultural activity taught women e.g. effective public presentation of one’s work and methods of professional use of digital tools for the development and sale of products.
“Creative Waves” aimed at promoting female entrepreneurship, strengthening importance of active women in their environment and on the Internet, and also at removing barriers between traditional female activities and new technologies.
The project Interconnect Tourism seed money project is successfully finalized. The results and roadmap for further joint action was presented during the final project partner meeting in Karlskrona in May 2022.
The project has resulted in a technical road map, swot analysis and finally a draft set up with exemplary activities for a future full scale project for implementation.
The Seed Money project also includes summarized reports from stakeholder dialogues, held in each country. The reports points out several benefits and interest to apply the mobile technology developed in the previous interconnect project on the tourism sector. The reports also suggests technical improvements to be further developed as well as ways to build an organisational structure for further implementation.
Interconnect tourism was part financed by Seed Funding from Swedish Institute for Baltic Sea Cooperation
Do you want to participate in our Erasmus+ exchange in Kalmar this summer? Are you 18-30 years old? Do you want to learn about entrepreneurship and connect with youth from the Baltic sea region?
Euroregion Baltic Youth Board invites you to Kalmar, Sweden, 31 of July to 5 of August!
On 6th June 2022 the Young Generation Dialogue Forum was held in Elbląg, with the participation of over 30 people – representatives of Youth Councils together with their guardians, who operate in the member self-governments of the Association from: Elbląg, Malbork, Nowe Miasto Lubawskie and Dzierzgoń.
The organizer of the event was the Association of Polish Communes Euroregion Baltic.
The aim of this event was to integrate the community of Youth Local Government Councils, exchange experiences, search for inspiration for youth activities for the benefit of young people and establish cooperation with Youth Councils.
Along with the agenda of the Forum, participants of the event received 2 handbooks created as part of the INDIGISE project – “Manual – how to stimulate social entrepreneurship using non-formal and informal learning methods” and “Social Enterpreneurship Methodology Handbook”.
Participants of the event were introduced to the activities of the Youth Councils, their goals and directions of activities. Hosts of the meeting also presented the assumptions of the INDIGISE project, sources of financing, project partnership, activities carried out in Poland, and in other countries. Furthermore, the candidate for a member of the ERB Youth Board, Dawid Jędrzejewski, shared the results of the participation of young representatives of the Councils in the “International Social Entrepreneurship Camp” that was first held in Klaipeda on 9-11th May 2022, and later on 13-14th May, online. He also presented a website dedicated to the social entrepreneurship, aimed at serving young people, which was created within another project and is being developed as part of INDIGISE project.
The special guest of the Forum was Ms Joanna Glezman, Head of the Department for Social Dialogue and Public Benefit of the Marshal’s Office of the Warmia and Mazuria Region, together with Ms Maja Świtkowska from the same Department.
Ms Joanna Glezman introduced the participants to many interesting youth oriented initiatives and projects undertaken by Warmia and Mazuria Region since 2015, such as “Local system of supporting youth initiatives” or “We act for the benefit of local communities“, the assumption of which is to create and strengthen conditions for the development of creative potential, civic activity and competences of young people, developing intergenerational cooperation, building local coalitions and partnerships, and also supporting initiatives developed by young people. Furthermore, Ms Joanna Glezman also discussed projects for young people, indicated the most active areas, discussed the assumptions of the working group established by a Resolution of the Board of the Warmia and Masuria Region “Strengthening the creative potential, civic activity and social competences of young people”, and many other initiatives for young people, such as the annual Youth Forum of Warmia and Mazuria Region, during which the problems faced by youth and their needs are discussed. Ms Glezman also invited the participants to the next Youth Forum of Warmia and Mazuria Region which will be held on 10th June 2022.
The Young Generation Dialogue Forum was combined with thematic workshops aimed at shaping innovative, entrepreneurial and participatory attitudes and thinking of young people. This part also included a discussion panel on the needs of youth, the environment in which they live, their social activity, and setting directions for action. The entire part was conducted by the CIVIS POLONUS Foundation from Warsaw.
Forum participants also had a chance to learn about the good practices withinn the activities undertaken by Youth Councils, cities and counties from different regions of Poland, presented by the Foundation as initiatives or projects that changed the community.
The event has been developed under the INDIGISE project funded by the Erasmus+ programme. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.
On 9-11th May 2022
almost 30 young people from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Norway had an
opportunity to participate in the International Social Entrepreneurship Camp
organized by the University of Klaipeda within the Indigise project. Participants
promoted youth social entrepreneurship in the Baltic Sea region, and also had a
chance to seek positive social and environmental changes in society.
The workshop in Lithuania was conducted
under the guidance of experts from universities, non-governmental organizations
and business networks, who acted in accordance with the latest trends in
education. Participants of the Indigise project event provided support and
through educational tools used in non-formal education were able to:
co-create youth-oriented, innovative educational tools to develop
entrepreneurial competences in the field of the social economy;
disseminate the idea of social entrepreneurship among young people
in the northern region of Europe;
provide the necessary competences and support tools to enable young
people to develop ideas for social business;
promote the concept of social entrepreneurship and support new social
enterprises in the Baltic Sea Region create ways of encouraging young
people to innovative and creative thinking, cooperation and risk-taking
through two camps – InnoCamps, organized in Norway and Lithuania in 2021;
co-create a document – InnoCamp Methodology Handbook – a step-by-step
instruction on how to prepare a similar camp – InnoCamp for young people,
which can be used by: schools, educators, non-governmental organizations,
etc.
The exchange of
experience, learning about functioning of existing social enterprises and
international cooperation resulted in many great and financially aspiring
business ideas, which were later consulted during the online part of the event
on 13-14th May 2022. It was also an opportunity to present the socialenterprisebsr.net platform, carry out individual
consultations on the participants’ business plans and get to know where to look
for substantive support by young entrepreneurs.
“Through this
short trip, we were able to get to know each other in the context of social
coexistence and demonstrate the most important social dilemmas for the development
of our own business focused on social goals. Thank you for welcoming us and for
the opportunity to take advantage of the experience and we look forward to the
next ones “- said Dawid Markun, one of the participants.
One
of the outputs of this event is the “Social Entrepreneurship Innovation
Methodology Manual” which outlines guidelines for organizing innovation
camps or similar events with a strong emphasis on social entrepreneurship.
The handbook is a
set of interactive and innovative educational materials and ICT tools as well
as gamification and brainstorming methods dedicated to training, education and
awareness raising on social entrepreneurship among young people, which is
recommended for use later by schools in other EU countries, universities, NGOs,
etc.
The event has been developed under the INDIGISE project funded by the Erasmus+ programme. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.
Gustaw Marek Brzezin, Marshal of Warmia and Masuria Region, chaired the meeting of Euroregion Baltic Executive Board, which was held on the 11th of May in Växjö, capital the Region Kronoberg in Sweden. It was the first physical meeting of Euroregion Baltic, after more than two years of Covid-19 pandemic.
Executive Board Members deeply discussed current international situation, especially in Ukraine, and its impact on countries and regions, Baltic Sea Region cooperation and Euroregion Baltic. Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation has been formally suspended in Euroregion Baltic and has not participated in the cooperation since the beginning of March. Moreover, Russian partners do not participate in joint projects any more.
