The National Centre for Culture Poland (NCC; Polish: Narodowe Centrum Kultury) is a cultural institution with 60 years of tradition, which has been operating under its present name since 2002. The focus of the Centre is on developing and professionalizing the cultural sector by raising the qualifications and skills of managers, animators and other professionals through a variety of trainings conducted by Polish and international experts as well as through education and exchange programmes. At the same time the National Centre for Culture aims to maintain and promote national and state traditions along with Polish cultural heritage and also to foster cultural education and nurture interest in culture and art.

The Centre:

• launches and supports research projects, debates, conferences and seminars that aim to promote effective implementation of cultural policy on various levels,

• develops and maintains a platform documenting good practices in the field of cultural policy,

• collects research reports as well as monitoring activities of national and foreign cultural observatories and research institutions,

• inspires and supports social movements and NGOs operating in the fields of culture and national heritage,

• disseminates cultural information and promote research activities in the fields of culture and national heritage,

• raises the qualifications of people working in the cultural sector.

Overview of the main activities in the cultural and creative sector of the last 2 years:

25th Anniversary of Local Governments – Culture

The 25th anniversary of local governments is an opportunity to analyse past actions in the field of local cultural policies and strategies. The National Centre for Culture, together with local authorities, coordinates a cycle of debates about: local cultural strategies, inter-sectoral cooperation, the impact of local cultural operators and non-governmental organisations on culture.

http://www.nck.pl/kultura-samorzadowa-25/

Accessible Culture

Accessible Culture is a systematic measure aimed at removing financial and capacity-building obstacles of citizens likely subjected to cultural exclusion. Accessible Culture is a programme launched by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. The programme's objective is to increase the number of actions and initiatives raising cultural awareness and facilitating access to culture. As part of the programme, the National Centre for Culture implements "Accessible Culture at the cinema" and administers a cultural events browser.

https://kulturadostepna.pl/

Culture-Business-Media Club

The assumption of the initiative is to establish prestigious club integrating business, cultural and media environments. Club activities support cultural organisations and artists, as well as raise awareness of the business and media, as to the role played by the culture in socio-economic development.

http://kulturasieliczy.pl/klub_kultura_bizes_media/

Culture Centre +

The programme is aimed at community centres throughout the country. The tasks focus on supporting the development of staff competencies and fostering the artistic skills and sensibilities of children and young people.

http://www.nck.pl/dom-kultury-plus/

Culture – Interventions

The strategic goal of this grant programme is to create the conditions for strengthening identity and increasing cultural participation at local and national level through financial support of projects that disseminate cultural heritage and increase the presence of culture in social life.

http://www.nck.pl/kultura-interwencje/

Culture Platform

Culture Platform is an interactive website dedicated to culture and cultural education, offering a compendium of knowledge on the cultural sector, cultural education and culture animation. The website is designed as a comprehensive database of information about the programmes and activities of NCC, MKiDN (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage) and partnership initiatives as well as of local organisations and various cultural institutions across Poland.

http://www.platformakultury.pl/

Gaude Polonia

Gaude Polonia is a scholarship programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage intended for creators of culture and translators of Polish literature before age 40, coming from Central European countries, mostly Belarus and Ukraine, who work in the following fields: film, photography, conservation of art and architecture, literature/translation, music, visual arts, theatre, art criticism.

http://www.nck.pl/gaude-polonia/

eNCeK Radio

In October 2014, the National Centre for Culture initiated a project entitled eNCeK Radio. Every few days, at the National Centre for Culture's website, there are posted audio materials, such as, interviews with cultural operators, cultural events' coverages, recommendations and cultural reviews.

http://www.nck.pl/encek-radio/

Kultura Współczesna - quarterly magazine

Kultura Współczesna [eng. Contemporary culture] is an academic journal exploring current issues in the areas of culture and cultural studies. It is a forum for the exchange of ideas and discussions that go beyond traditional academic discourse. The Polish Association of Cultural Studies is the journal’s partner.

http://www.kulturawspolczesna.pl/

Map of Culture

Map of Culture is an interactive map of Poland that brings together information about interesting places, engaging events and people worth remembering. It invites culture lovers to post information on the interesting facts, stories and events that shape the identity of a particular place.

http://www.mapakultury.pl/

Native Tongue – Add to Favorites

A socio-educational campaign and a grant programme aimed at fostering creative, responsible and conscious attitudes towards language and at building language skills by disseminating knowledge about the Polish language and raising language skills.

http://www.nck.pl/ojczysty/

Observatory of Culture

Observatory of Culture was established to create a permanent platform for collaboration, debate and exchange of views between cultural administrators and managers and the science community. The Observatory aims to develop and promote within the cultural sector a knowledge-based model of decision-making. It initiates, facilitates and supports culture research conducted by statisticians, economists, sociologists and representatives of other disciplines.

http://www.nck.pl/obserwatorium-kultury/

Polish-Ukrainian Youth Exchange

The programme is aimed at children and youth aged 12–18 years, Young Poles and Ukrainians work together on different projects that enable them to meet and understand each other, learn more about contemporary Poland and Ukraine, see the cultural similarities and differences and become familiar with the local culture.

http://www.nck.pl/obserwatorium-kultury/

Publications

The National Centre for Culture specializes in publications that help raise the skills of cultural operators, explore contemporary culture and promote national heritage in unorthodox ways. The book series published by the Centre include: Culture counts! (Kultura się liczy!), which examines the relationships between culture and economy; Setting a course for culture (Kurs na kulturę), promoting the best doctoral theses in the field of culture; Library of contemporary culture (Biblioteka Kultury Współczesnej), which presents classics in the field of cultural studies; Contemporary culture (Kultura współczesna), a quarterly journal of cultural studies; Crossovers of time: alternative histories (Zwrotnice czasu – Historie alternatywne), which prompts a shift in perspective on history.

http://sklep.nck.pl/

The Rise of Eastern Culture

The Rise of Eastern Culture is a unique form of cultural cooperation of eastern Polish cities with Eastern Partnership countries. Three Polish cities – Białystok, Lublin and Rzeszów – discover new opportunities for community cooperation to enhance the cross-border circulation of culture, artistic and cultural exchange, and the mobility of artists and their works. The artistic programme is based primarily on the initiatives of local cultural operators and artists, the exchange of artistic projects between cities, and joint projects with artists from Eastern Partnership countries.

http://wschodkultury.eu/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzmco1A0tv0&list=PLKjKY86ZnTIl9K1VRSjdcqqZqtaLDCpD0&index=18

Young Poland

Young Poland is a scholarship programme designed for Polish artists under the age of 35 with outstanding achievements in their respective fields (music, film, photography, visual arts, dance, theatre, literature, art criticism). Grants awarded through a competition process may be used to fund the artists’ own artistic projects, to purchase requisite instruments and equipment, or to finance studies and international residences. 

http://www.nck.pl/mloda-polska/

See also:

How to improve cooperation between the cultural, business and media communities – case study

Why Culture counts?