Billstedt United

"Billstedt United - United Cultural Empowerment" is a project in the Billstedt district of Hamburg which makes the culture and the joie de vivre of this part visible and connects people of all nations encouraging them to engage in joint cultural activities.

BILLSTEDT STANDS FOR VARIETY

Of a total of 100 000 inhabitants in the Billstedt area, as much as 58% have a migration background (41,000), in the younger generation the figure is as high as 80%. Out of 100 people, 36% are under 20 years of age. As a result, it is a very young and a very diverse district. As part of the Billstedt United project, residents were interviewed and praised the cultural diversity, but also the extend of nature and parks in the east of Hamburg.  

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AS A BASIS FOR CREATIVITY

The multicultural society of Billstedt is both a challenge and an acid. Interaction of many cultures leads to a positive and creative output. With its project work, the Kultur Palast Foundation aims at making the strength of an international urban society an experience for everyone. Within the project all aspects of culture are made visible. All activities are set up to improve the image of the district

SEDCARDS AND VIDEOS PRESENT COMMUNITIES

In cooperation with the Kultur Palast Hamburg Foundation, the cultural groups active in the district are presented on a joint website. Each community is presented in detail in a sedcard and a video with information on cultural backgrounds, interests, hobbies, traditional dishes and music styles. At the same time, Billstedt United wants to point out the personal perception of the people regarding to their district as well as concepts and ideas for improving the environment. Over the course of four years, a total of 48 sedcards of the cultural groups from Billstedt are to be created.

The collected material is used to create calendars, photos and exhibition formats (indoor/outdoor) and is distributed throughout the region. The communities should get to know each other, explore their cultural simularities and create joint event formats.

ONLINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE REGION

During the project, a publicly accessible online calendar of events for the region will be created, which can be used as an event information platform by the cultural groups. In order to support communication between people in the district, it is planned to set up a committee that will meet regularly, as well as a "Billstedt Cultural Fund", that will present the "Billstedt Diversity Award" to particularly outstanding projects.

PROMOTION OF POSITIVE CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS

The aim of "Billstedt United - United Cultural Empowerment" is to promote positive social developments in the district and to unite the different cultures. By producing the Sedcards and distributing them in the district, the project draws attention to Billstedt's cultural treasures. Residents who previously had little contact with art and culture should be encouraged to actively participate in shaping their environment.

UTOPOLIS - SOCIOCULTURE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Billstedt United - United Cultural Empowerment is one of 16 selected projects of the federal initiative "Utopolis – Soziokultur im Quartier". It is an interdepartmental concept made possible by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture, Media and the Arts (BKM) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Homeland Affairs (BMI) as part of the "Socially Integrative City" support initiative. In a four-year development process, socio-cultural centres all throughout Germany are testing new creative formats focusing on the question of how art and culture can be used for the interactions of societies in the districts. This programme is accompanied by the Bundesvereinigung Soziokultureller Zentren e.V., which provides technical and administrative support.