The social festival offers the opportunity to realize ideas for more social cohesion, social structures and regional economic cycles in small scale regions in rural areas. The goal of Keep the Ball Rolling. is to encourage people living in the
hosting region to come up with their ideas, to reflect on their environment and develop new or enhance already existing thoughts and strategies that could help to improve their individual living conditions and those within their communities. It is designed explicitly bottom up; it provides a framework for socially relevant activities, but these
activities are expected to come from the people concerned. The framework implies supporting people in implementing their ideas, providing them with relevant, helpful contacts and, of course, with financial help.
Each festival has a period of 18 months.
The social festival was initiated by the Austrian theologian and philosopher Clemens Sedmak and launched 2010 in the Lungau region in the province of Salzburg/Austria (http://tu-was.at/lungau-2011.html). It is a project inspired by existing projects, such as European Capitals of Culture. The conference “The Logics of Change” organized by the CEPR
(Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research at the University of Salzburg, Austria) and the ifz (international research centre for social and ethical questions, Salzburg) in November 2011 was an offspring of the social festival in the Lungau region. 2011 was the first year Keep the Ball Rolling. took place. The Lungau, as a pilot region, hosted the premiere of the social festival. Between December 2010 and May 2011 there were three calls for projects. A low threshold and area-wide announcement that was explicitly addressed to everyone living in the region secured satisfying participation. Each call
was dedicated to one of the three main festival issues. Mottoes were: “good community life”, “good poverty alleviation”, and “good working and business”. All in all, 120 projects were submitted and presented to the jury, which consisted of representatives of the “SinnStifter”, of the Federal State Government of Salzburg, members of CEPR and ifz, and well-known personalities from the Lungau region with high local expertise as well as high acceptance within the region. Almost 70 projects were selected by the jury and have since been put into practice in the Lungau. Some of these projects are small, some are large-scale, some were proposed by individuals, young and old, some were proposed by groups of people, some by institutions doing social work.
After the festival in the region ’Steirische Eisenstraße’ (http://tu-was.at/steir-eisenstrasse-2012-61.html) in year 2012 to 2013, the 2013-2014 festival takes place in the region ’Mühlviertler Alm’ in the province of Upper Austria (http://tu-was.at/muehlviertler-alm.html).
Link to H2020 SI Priorities
Strategic intelligence and citizens’ participation
Solutions for cultural heritage assets
Resource efficient sustainable lifestyles
Biodiversity examination and understanding
SI Type
Social (incl. behavioural) - The idea behing the social festival ’Keep the ball rolling.’ is to motivate people to think about (societal) needs and challenges in their region/ community and to support them to realize their ideas for change. It is about supporting committed people and institutions in realizing small project ideas that aim to increase the quality of life in their respective communities and regions. The social festival does provide an organizational
and scientific framework as well as research & scientific guidance for the implementation of such ideas. Furthermore those who successfully submit a project (nomination process through a jury) will also receive financial support. The festival also aims to encourage people to stay within their regions all with noticeable problems concerning emigration and employment, as well as poor infractructures (the noticeable steady decrease in population would effect a noticeable reduction in social structures). The festival motivates people to interact, to strengthen the awareness of a region and to strengthen social networks.
Service / Process - Festivalregions are chosen by a comitee; policy makers and citizens alike are participating.
SI Objectives
Strengthen peripheral and structurally weak regions through public participation.
Celebrate the local community and the interaction – not just for a few days, but for eighteen months
Motivate people to interact, to strengthen the awareness of a region and to strengthen social networks.
Find and stimulate ideas / project of ’local experts’ to fight poverty and reduce social segregation.
SI Origin
The initiator of the social festival (Clemens Sedmak – theologian and philosopher) formulated nine theses for social cohesion. He asserted that people of a region should think about what kind of society or community they wanted to be part of. They should define the capabilities and resources of the area. The quality of the structure of public space (social, cultural and moral framing conditions of our lifestyle) should also be kept in mind. Human identity grows through relationships, collective experiences and shared memories which fix the sense of belonging. When people have more self-esteem, they then have more self-confidence in the idea that they could bring about change. If people of a region think about good lifestyles and a better society, the question of exclusion must also be answered; exclusion due to a lack of economic resources and through segregation. In conclusion, communities have to think about shared values. (cf. Sedmak 2012: 18ff)
SI Factors of success
Social - Social cohesion and identification through a bottom up approach.
Sources
Primary - On the festival’s website all projects are comprehensively described.
