Eight projects were awarded a Volt-grant in 2019

The application round for 2019 for the Volt language and culture programme for young people has now concluded. A total of EUR 287,027 has been awarded, with grants for individual projects ranging from EUR 10,000 up to EUR 70,000. A total of 27 applications were considered in this round, with eight of these being granted funding. Here are three examples of projects that the expert group thought worth highlighting:

Kolme! (Three!) is a project aimed at building a strong co-operative network between young people who identify with the Baltic-Finnic minority languages and cultures in Norway, Finland, and Sweden. The project’s activities will be based on creative content through various art forms at three locations. The material created will be presented at exhibitions and in a short docu-film that will be made available for release in other countries. The content has been created by local youth organisations with the aim of strengthening the participants’ identity and sense of belonging through increased knowledge of their own culture, language, and history. The languages included in the project are Kven, Meänkieli, and Karelian.

The project Ångestakademien has also been granted funding for three camps for young people and young adults to be held in Finland, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands. The focus will be on how fiction, culture, and creativity can help to prevent mental illness. The project will include the media of animation, film, and image. In addition, there will be time for discussion groups on culture, fiction, and opportunities to improve the health of young people. In addition to the spoken word, the project utilises the communication opportunities offered by way of body language and emotional language. The project is implemented based on the needs and wishes of young people with the support of reference groups consisting of professional experts in the cultural, social, and technical sectors.

Trillebørstur i Nord is a project for those aged between three and eight, consisting of performances and workshops where children can travel around the Nordic Region in a wheelbarrow loaded with stories. In this way they learn about the Nordic languages, cultures, and histories. After the performance, the children reflect on what they’ve seen and make pictures and figures based on what they’ve experienced. The project builds on the earlier experience of the projects Nordisk – Nøj, det’ for børn! and Kom med! Det gror i Nord, and will be enjoyed by children in five Nordic countries and areas.

For the last three years, the Volt programme has facilitated creative content that arouses interest in the art, culture, and languages of other Nordic countries and areas. Projects that have been granted funding can be found under “Search grants” on the results page of Nordic Culture Point’s website.  Information about upcoming application rounds will be published on our website in early 2020.