Mekong Cultural Hub

Answer: 

In the context of the next Meeting Point, MCH is considering ‘grassroots’ to include (but not be limited to): independent cultural workers (including artists), informal arts and cultural groups or collectives, organizations (including arts spaces, NGOs and others, both businesses and not-for-profit). While there are many different experiences, we understand some of the common ground among these different people to be:

● Highly dependent on the individuals involved
● Often facing challenges in finding resources
● Often working on a project basis
● Working in a bottom-up manner

The types of organisations we would not generally expect to identify as ‘grassroots’ would be policy organisations or government agencies. However this is not a set definition.

By discovering varied ‘Perspectives from the Grassroots‘ through the different conversations at Meeting Point, including Local Gatherings, we hope to generate a mapping of the emerging trends and practices of what is happening locally across our network.

Answer: 

This open call is open to your interpretation, and will depend on the relationship of the community you want to gather to the arts, social action, and their interests and concerns. 

If you are hosting a gathering of cultural practitioners you might consider topics that focus on shared experiences or concerns. For example, the Curators of other conversations that will be part of the 2024 Meeting Point have chosen topics of Lifecycles of Grassroots Cultural Organisations in Asia and Hitting Pause: Examining Purpose & Practice. 

If you are hosting a gathering for people not from the arts community, you might consider topics related to the community’s perspective on arts and culture, or exploring other social topics through arts. 

Previous gatherings that have prioritised non-arts communities, have included a workshop involving monks and local youth, exploring reducing plastic use in buddhist rituals, and a dialogue between artists and other community members on concepts of leadership and governance. 

The theme is deliberately open to interpretation. And one of the most interesting things in the Local Gatherings program is discovering the different interests and concerns of hosts and their communities in relationship to this prompt. Please find your own connection to the theme.

Answer: 

The aims of Local Gatherings are to expand the community of people engaged with the Meeting Point platform, and to give practitioners micro-grants to organise events in their local communities.

A Local Gathering can be an activity such as a talk, workshop, seminar or creative action.  It depends on which form is suitable to engage people in connection and exchange in relation to the theme: Perspectives from the Grassroots. It can be a short event, lasts some hours, a half day or happens over 2-3 days. It can be for a big group or a small group, depending on the topics the hosts want to engage on and the format of your gatherings.

Answer: 

The format can be designed by the host so it best serves the purpose behind your local gathering. If you would like to have a gathering about art or related to art, that is of course fine. And we welcome you using art and creativity during your gathering. Just be aware we do not expect this project is for creating art work or creating art projects. The purpose is gathering and exchange. 

In the Program Overview document, we have listed some examples of previous gatherings, those are also giving you some ideas of how to consider the scale, the format and the budget your gathering requests.  However, they are just “for example” and you could design your own.  You might also want to see previous Local Gatherings here (scroll down to see previous gatherings in different cities in Asia).

Answer: 

The local gatherings hosted and implemented by the Hosts happen in your own local area, with your local community. They happen between 8th and 16th March. After the Hosts have implemented their gatherings locally, the Hosts (or one representing the hosting team) will fly to Hanoi on March 19th 2024 to participate in the workshop on March 20th and 3-day(March 21, 22, and 23) Meeting Point in Hanoi.

Answer: 

This will be planned and identified by the hosts. Each host can identify who is the local community the host wants to work with and each host design the format of the gathering to respond to the theme “Perspectives from the Grassroots.” It is fine to define a very specific community who you would like to gather (e.g. LGBTQ+ community), or to have it more open.

Answer: 

It depends on each Local Gathering’s project. The host could design the aim, topic and who should be the target/right audience. In the past gatherings have been:
● Open to the public
● Open to those who register in advance
● By invitation only
● A combination of the above

It will depend on the focus of your gathering which of these is appropriate. From MCH perspective, all of these are fine. And if the nature of your topic means a closed door discussion is the right approach, we will support it.

Answer: 

MCH will cover the travel cost, including return flight to Hanoi, transportation to airport, and accommodation in Hanoi, of one representative from each Local Gathering’s host or hosting team.  The Hosts will arrive in Hanoi on March 19^th and leave on March 24^th.  All the representatives will attend a full day workshop on March 20 to share and reflect their gatherings facilitated and supported by Jeffrey.  They will also finalise details of what they plan to share to the general audience during the Meeting Point.

Answer: 

Yes. During the 4 times of networking sessions, any Local Gathering that is being hosted by more than one person can have up to three (3) representatives participating in the online networking sessions. The representative that will attend the Meeting Point in Hanoi must be named when we sign the Terms of Reference for participation and support (which will be after MCH offers a place on the program and the Host(s) accept it). That named person must attend all four online networking sessions. For individual applications, the Host is also expected to attend all four networking sessions. If this agreement is not followed, the invitation to Hanoi is not guaranteed.

Answer: 

Any more questions, please contact Jennifer LEE at jennifer@mekongculturalhub.org.

Answer: 

The deadline of submitting your application form is Sep 10^th 2023 (before 23.59pm of ICT time/UTC+7/Bangkok time).  Please send your application form to Jennifer LEE (jennifer@mekongculturalhub.org).  She will reply to let you know we have received your application.  If you have not received any reply from her within 3 working days of submitting your application, please contact us again.