The decisive role of culture as a driver for sustainable local development, social cohesion and territorial innovation in remote areas was highlighted, on 28 & 29 May 2026 in Madeira, Portugal, through the first educational action of the European project C-CYCLE Cooperation on Cultural Yield through Coaching and Learning Evolution (2024-1-EL01-KA220-VET-000257519), which is co-financed by the Erasmus+ Programme.
Institutional and educational bodies from Greece, the Netherlands and Portugal met with representatives of local authorities and grassroots cultural organisations under the common goal of developing a framework for knowledge transfer and interactive reflection on the need to develop more participatory, resilient and sustainable cultural policies, especially in remote EU regions.
The training themed “Strengthening cultural resilience and local capacity in remote communities” was organized with the on-site curation of the partner cultural organization APCA and the pivotal collaboration of the University of Madeira and the Conservatory-Madeira Arts School Eng. Luiz Peter Clode, under the strategic coordination of the Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Governement and with the outstanding educational contribution of the Hague Academy for Local Governance.
The educational activity formed a dynamic space for productive dialogue, interaction and co-creation, where the trainees had the opportunity to delve into local cultural policies, explore European good practices and develop new approaches to address the existing local challenges in culture that emerged from the field research, and their utilization as a tool for social and economic development on the island of Madeira.
With the catalytic contribution of the Ministry of Culture of Greece, and specifically the Creative Europe Office of Greece, as well as of the Association of Dutch
Municipalities, knowledge exchange activities and collaborative workshops were implemented, transnational cooperation was strengthened and new perspectives for networking and joint action were created.
Of particular value was the educational visit to the Associação Musical e Cultural Xarabanda, where the participants experienced a representative example of a cultural initiative with a substantial and measurable positive impact on the local society.
The implementation of this first training action was an important milestone in capacity building, strengthening European cooperation and promoting cultural innovation, confirming that culture can be a strategic pillar of sustainable local development and social resilience.
The C-CYCLE project connects local authorities, cultural and wider creative sector organisations and universities from Europe, seeking to strengthen the skills of local authorities and local cultural actors. With a particular focus on island and peripheral areas, the project methodology combines theoretical training, analysis of European case studies and practical work, presenting immediately applicable knowledge and substantial learning outcomes.
The next educational action of the project will take place for Greek institutions in Athens, at the EETAA headquarters (73-77 Myllerou, Str.), on 11 and 12 June 2026, thus continuing the European dialogue and cooperation on the necessary interconnection of culture with sustainable local development. The two-day, hybrid (in-person and digital) training will be attended by 25 executives from 16 Greek municipalities and representatives of their local cultural institutions.
