Support for Regional Culture Projects which aim to reduce cultural and social exclusion

One of the persisting challenges for Lithuania' s culturai diversity is the remaining gap between
so called 'centre' and 'periphery' - cities and regions. RegionaI culture institutions are putting a
lot of effort into preserving certain forms of cultural expressions - especially national ethnic
culture, traditional arts and crafts, Lithuanian language and its dialects, culture of minorities, etc.
However high unemployment rates, emigration and the rural to urban migration of youth
represent a challenge in the regions to engage people in culturai activities, to nurture creativity
and to foster diversity of cultural expressions, especially those taking contemporary farms.
Responding to these challenges, the aim of this measure is to increase access to culture in the
regions of Lithuania, to strengthen institutions which fulfil the culturai and social needs of the
communities in the regions and to contribute to improving the socio-cultural environment in the
regions. Implementation of this measure began in 2011 and supports the following activities:
a) culturai education in museums, libraries, culturai centres, culturai industry hubs etc.;
b) programmes aiming to engage local communities in culturai activities;
c) creative initiatives ofyoung people in the regions;
d) innovative initiatives improving access to culture, especially to contemporary art forms.
LTL 500,000 was dedicated to this support scheme and 46 projects were supported in 2011. The
Ministry of Culture introduced this support scheme and is responsible for its implementation.