Ambition

SAVE will be an opportunity for the four grassroots organisations in the villages to become more experienced in working in a European context and learn from one another. It is inspiring that, social and geographical differences notwithstanding, some local issues are common to all of the partner villages.

For the involved artists, this project is an opportunity to present their work to a larger international audience; in meetings with our international partners, during the end of project presentations, and, digitally, via the project website.

SAVE has the ambition to grow further, to build bridges to new and other European villages. We do this by exploring the cultural heritages in small rural communities and telling the stories that go along with them. By sharing those stories with people in the villages themselves, as well as regionally, nationally and internationally, we aspire to contribute to a growing understanding about traditions, values, and challenges that exist in rural areas.

SAVE's partners have also launched a youth exchange project called MOVE (My Open Village Europe). Through MOVE, we introduce young people from the villages involved to each other's worlds, to their local contexts – to their cultures, environments, and their everyday lives.

SAVE and MOVE are financially and organizationally two separate projects. Nevertheless, we believe that the two projects are mutually reinforcing. Overall, we hope to raise awareness, enrich, and inspire new generations of villagers with experiences and knowledge about similar living worlds across borders in Europe.