Idea Camp 2017 - Moving Communities took place in Madrid, Spain, in March 2017, organized by our Platoniq Center for Connected Action for the Commons and co-produced with the Madrid City Council.

Focused on “communities in motion,” the 2017 Idea Camp followed an open call for bold ideas to build societies with greater equality, sustainability, and solidarity, and a stronger sense of social justice. It’s about communities in motion, communities in transition, and also the power of individuals to “move” their communities forward through their progressive and creative ideas.

What is an Idea Camp?

The selected participants—our Idea Makers—represent a wide range of practices and methodologies: from community gardening to participatory architecture, from open-knowledge platforms to collaborative artworks.

The Idea Camp is based on the principles of free and open culture. It provides a safe and inspiring space for the cross-pollination of ideas, allowing projects and partnerships to emerge. It is both a meeting place and a workspace, fueled by workshops and people who will help selected participants to:

• research and develop their ideas
• exchange knowledge and find new collaborations
• inspire and connect with others from different sectors who work with culture and communities
• explore and question new democratic alternatives

  ¿Cómo fue la experiencia?

The 2017 Idea Camp brought together 50 idea creators from 24 countries across Europe and its neighboring regions. Over the course of three days, participants nurtured and refined the ideas they had developed with the goal of countering undemocratic practices and amplifying the voices excluded from public debate and decision-making. They worked with the support of a group of guest idea incubators and facilitators—the Connected Action for the Commons hubs.

The Moving Communities methodology was designed by Platoniq, in collaboration with the Idea Camp program team, to help idea creators transform their ideas into viable and effective projects. Idea Camp’s idea development sessions have been adapted using various techniques and principles from creative thinking, rapid prototyping, and agile development.

The methodology delves into three thematic areas:

1. WHO (communities): This refers to the communities the idea is aimed at or seeks to involve. Are their needs and challenges—as well as their role—clearly understood and taken into account in the development of the idea? 

2. HOW (strategies): This refers to the implementation of the idea. Who are the necessary partners and stakeholders, and how can their participation be secured? How can the idea be scaled up and made more participatory?

3. WHY (values): This refers to the impact and value of the idea. What is the narrative behind the idea, and how can a broader impact be ensured?

Three days, twenty-five selected ideas

Following the Ideas Camp, we invited the 50 Idea Makers to develop project proposals based on their ideas. The ECF awarded twenty-five of them a research and development grant: Meet the 25 R&D grant recipients and their ideas.

The program was structured around a series of activities, including workshops facilitated by local groups and the Ideas Camp team, idea-development sessions, neighborhood walks, group discussions, and meetings with local organizations.

Over the course of three days, 50 selected Idea Makers, invited experts, centers from the Connected Action for the Commons network, and a group of representatives from European municipalities exchanged thoughts and challenges, learned from one another, and continued to develop ideas. Their goal: to help build more equitable societies and translate common sense into sustainable, inclusive policies.

It’s amazing what a group of dedicated people can accomplish in three days. The Ideas Camp may be over, but the ideas presented in Madrid will continue to flourish, especially through the exchanges among all participants that continue in the Digital Roadmap.

The European Cultural Foundation is committed to supporting ideas that help shape a better future. As in previous editions of the Ideas Camp, participants are now invited to submit a concrete plan to further explore their ideas. A total of 25 proposals will be selected and awarded an R&D grant of up to 10,000 euros each.

What did the participants take away from the event?

The Ideas Camp isn’t just about work. It’s also a celebration of belonging and citizenship, of building a network of cultural change-makers who will truly make a difference in the future. As Anna Kooi, an idea maker, wrote: “In times of grim political uncertainty and troubling prospects, it was more necessary than ever to see the big picture: there are actually so many people all over the world trying to mobilize their communities to make the world a better place. I made connections that I’m sure will inspire us mutually for the rest of our lives; I spoke with people whose stories I’ll carry with me wherever I go; I learned things I never would have dreamed of learning. I’m so grateful for this experience—thank you, everyone.”

The meeting brought together city council members and municipal advisors, cultural innovators, and politicians from Madrid and La Coruña (Spain), Naples (Italy), Warsaw (Poland), Chișinău (Moldova), Stockholm (Sweden), Rijeka (Croatia), and Athens (Greece).

During the meeting, participants discussed how to open up their administrations to new citizen-led democratic movements or, as Ana Méndez of the Madrid City Council put it, “how to make the city more community-oriented.”

The Ideas Camp is more than just an event: it is a growing community of inspiring professionals from across Europe and beyond, who together are helping to create a better future.