MyMED, culture and citizenship in the Mediterranean

MyMED, questioning Culture in the citizenship

From mid-August to mid-October 2013, the MyMED team, composed of three French girls, will make a citizen itinerary around the Mediterranean, to meet young project leaders working in the cultural and artistic field, and involved in their society. This trip's aim will be to carry out an investigation about the role occupied by culture, citizenship and youth in the Mediterranean today. An internet platform, MyMED, will present the results and invite everyone to participate in dialogue. The team will publish videos, articles, and pictures before, during and after the trip.

A trip to investigate

MyMED is firstly a trip to investigate the Mediterranean (Greece, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Spain) in order to meet young cultural project leaders, citizens, and artists attending cultural events or places, or being members of a cultural group/collective involved in society as active citizens. Field experience allows us to meet young people who, like us, have the desire to create better relationships within the Mediterranean area and are confident that the local projects have an impact on a global scale, using the international dialogue and peace.

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Our objective

In a time of political, economic and social upheaval, we want to investigate the role of culture, citizenship and youth in the Mediterranean. It is important for us to meet the artists and young Mediterranean and ask them about how they live in the present context and understand how it influences their work and projects... Our guiding thread is this question: What are the current interactions between artistic expression and citizen engagement of the Mediterranean youth?

MyMED, the web platform

An interactive web platform, MyMED ("My Mediterranean") will report on our progress, fostering dialogue and invite people we could not meet and people willing to participate to express themselves. The website will be updated by our team before, during and after the trip, with multimedia content (articles, videos, photographs, sound recordings, sketches ...).

Raising awareness

After completing the trip, we want to SHARE our experience and present our project in various forms among young people (college students) to get them to want to be more involved in the world by making projects ; to professionals in the cultural field in the Mediterranean area, and to all structures interested in the artistic and cultural issues, as well as the Mediterranean world and youth.

Our values and our team

Because we are convinced that culture and dialogue are essential, and because we believe that everyone can be "the change they want to see in the world", we want to help create cultural and artistic exchanges between all the Mediterranean countries. We want to create a dialogue that promotes peaceful and constructive relations between all Mediterranean citizens. For this, we, Marie-Gabrielle, Marion and Tiphaine, realizing our common passion for the Mediterranean, have created MyMED project.

Our goals

- to participate in the reconciliation between all sides of the Mediterranean region

- to promote cohesion between the youth

- to participate and help the promotion of a debate on the issues raised by our project

- to facilitate the expression of those who are not always heard

- to create a new and alternative voice other than conventional media

Why are these goals important to achieve?

Because we, the MyMED team, believe that contemporary artistic creation and its promotion can influence society in one way or another.

Because travelling and inter-cultural work in favour of the Human, and therefore bonding for our society. In times particularly troubled by racism, xenophobia, religious fanaticism, and conservatism, it is important to create stronger bonds.

Because we believe that we can contribute to the management of the web tool that strongly influences today's society, and we want to do it with MyMED.

Because we are convinced that the cultural places that implement cultural and artistic activities to help their people to develop and promote citizenship as well as allow the development of the country's own local culture, while providing access to a full openness and access to other cultures. It seems important to relay local cultural initiatives that are in the world so that they are reflected on a more global scale.

Because we want to help find a balance that can be achieved through dialogue, and the exchanging of ideas and experiences, which is the aim of MyMED.

Our Challenges

- The Mediterranean is a microcosm of the changes through the ages. It is a focal point, a land of conflict. It is also considered the cradle of civilizations, a midpoint of trade, commodities, and people. It is also a focal point of the influence of the three monotheistic religions. Is it possible to find a balance for the region?

- Our time: we live in an age of turbulence: global economic crisis, the Arab Spring, social upheaval, migration, unemployment, insecurity, and poverty. It is a time for extremism of all kinds, misunderstanding, and withdrawal. How do we rebuild the bridges between people?

- Young people: those who are in between their twenties and thirties, citizens and potential future decision-makers, who are discovering their potential and powers over society. They say that we are the Generation Y, a generation rocked by Internet and disillusionment, but is this really the case?

- The media and the Internet: we live fast paced lives, connected to the Internet, and we have seen our relationship to web evolve in recent years. Everything is faster, connections, communication, and information. The means of expressing has increased tenfold and may even influence society, but to what extent?

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Questions emerge ...

During our citizen and cultural itinerary, we want to meet and share with those who manage, animate, and attend cultural venues in the Mediterranean.

Thus questions arise, making us to want to find the answers:

- How do artists live through instability or the lack of movements in their country?

- What is the view of artists and cultural actors on freedom of expression and opinion?

- What are the links between artists and the structures around the Mediterranean?

- What are the links between people (artists and audience) and power?

- what is the situation of the civil society ?

- Is there a shared Mediterranean culture?

-How are the daily lives of artists and structures that are involved in social issues and citizenship?