MitOst e.V. is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation located in Berlin, Germany. MitOst promotes cultural exchange and active citizenship in Europe and its neighbouring regions. With 1.400 members in 40 different countries as well as with various partners MitOst is part of a dynamic European network. MitOst organises international programmes and projects and serves as a platform for new forms of social engagement and projects. The association supports exchange and co-operation among cultural managers, strengthens civil-societal keyplayers and societal engagement. In both fields MitOst develops practical techniques and concepts of trainings. Due to long-standing experience concerning project work, MitOst counsels other organisations in developing and realising their own projects.
History The association was founded in 1996 by lecturers of the Robert Bosch Foundation. They wanted to support cultural exchange and projects in Eastern Europe. Year by year the activities and the region of projects and programmes supported by MitOst enlarged. Today it has 1,400Status: 2. February 2015 members in more than 40 countries. MitOst coordinates 10 alumni groups of different international foundation programmes. MitOst organises several international programmes and projects by cooperating with several foundations and institutions. The organisation works non-profit and the involvement of members is voluntary.Annual report 2013_2014 Retrieved 2 February 2015
In July 2024, MitOst was declared an undesirable organisation in Russia.
Activities of MitOst MitOst creates innovative spaces and facilitates the exchange of experiences for common activities.What is MitOst? on CultureFigther.eu Retrieved 21 May 2015.
Members projects MitOst offers financial and professional support for its members, helping them to bring to life their ideas such as exhibitions, campaigns in public spaces, theatre workshops, meetings and trainings. Members can apply for different funding formats like "Language and Culture Projects", "Small Projects" and "KlickOst". With the format "kultur-im-dialog.eu+" by MitOst in cooperation with the Ernst Schering Foundation once a year cultural projects dealing with individual experience or national transformation processes in Europe and its neighbouring regions are supported.Ernst Schering Foundation about supported MitOst projects 2006 Retrieved 3. February 2015.supported project Bucharest – fragments in a box in 2008 Retrieved 3 February 2015.Zeit-Online about the project Bucharest – fragments in a box, published 23.08.2010. Retrieved 3 February 2015.supported project Borderland – A Participatory and Interdisciplinary Artistic Networking Project 2011 Retrieved 3 February 2015.supported project 2013 New Museum for bees Retrieved 3 February 2015.Article about the supported project 2013 Wohin Nereye supported by kultur-im-dialog.moe in 2014 Retrieved 2 February 2015.Blog about supported members project 2015 Wendezeiten – times of change Retrieved 26 August 2015.Article about supported members project 2015 Sarajevo Mindmap Retrieved 26 August 2015.Blog about supported members project 2015 Sarajevo Mindmap Retrieved 26 August 2015.
Alumni work MitOst offers a network for alumni of international foundation programmes. The alumni groups exchange their knowledge, take part in further training and network with each other. MitOst supports these groups in developing and organising formats and events that suit their needs. More about alumni. Alumni projects are funded by MitOst and the Robert Bosch Foundation. Alumni projects serve to improve networking and knowledge transfer between alumni. MitOst coordinates 10 alumni groups from different internationale foundation programmes:Status: August 2015 Carl Friedrich Goerdeler-Kolleg für Good Governance Deutschlehrerkolleg Europa gestalten – Politische Bildung in Aktion Europainstitut Klaus Mehnert Kulturmanager aus Mittel- und Osteuropa Lektorenprogramm (inkl. Tandemlektoren) Robert Bosch Kulturmanager in Mittel- und Osteuropa, der Russischen Föderation und der arabischen Welt Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg (darunter Gruppen der einzelnen regionalen Kooperationsprogramme) Tutorenprogramm / Studentenservice International Völkerverständigung macht Schule
Networking MitOst is a part of several networks to take part in discussions about the development of civil society, active citizenship, participation and cultural exchange. With international partners, institutions and organisations MitOst exchanges experiences, discusses about urgent topics related to civil society and cultural exchange, develops campaigns and projects. MitOst is a part of these networks: Democracy and Human Rights Education in Europe DARE Networking European Citizenships Education NECE EU-Russia Civil Society Forum Initiative Mittel- und Osteuropa Europäische Bewegung Deutschland Koalition Visa Free Osteuropa Petersburger Dialog Körber-Netzwerk Bürgergesellschaft
International MitOst-Festival The culmination of the union year is an international MitOst-Festival that takes place annually in a new city (2003:Pécs/Hungary, 2004:Vilnius/Lithuania, 2005: Wrocław/Poland, Ernst Schering Foundation about the 3. MitOst-Festival Retrieved 3. February 2015. 2006: Timișoara/Romania, 2007: Görlitz/Zgorzelec, Germany/Poland). In 2008 festival took place in Uzhgorod/Ukraine, 2009 in Gdańsk/Poland, 2010 in Perm/Russia, 2011 in České Budějovice/Czech Republic, 2012 in Russe (Stadt)/Bulgaria, 2013 in Leipzig/Germanyradioshow about the MitOst-Festival in Leipzig, published 9th of October 2013 and in 2014 in Novi Sad, Serbia. In 2015 the MitOst-Festival took place in Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine. About 200 participants made an acquaintance with the city and its inhabitants. They presented their voluntary projects, held actions and mini projects, offered workshops and got networked. There was also a lot of space for a self-organised, lively and intercultural cooperation. A general programme of film presentations, exhibitions, discussions, readings, city tours and concerts brought the spirit of MitOst into the city, as well as it united MitOst members, partner organisations and locals.Stand February 2015
Foundation programmes MitOst promotes cultural exchange and active citizenship in Europe and its neighbouring regions. MitOst organises international programmes and projects and serve as a platform for new forms of social engagement and projects. Projects and programmes:Status February 2015
Actors of Urban Change The programme Actors of Urban Change aims to achieve sustainable and participatory urban development through cultural activities. Actors from the cultural scene, the administration, and the private sector are given an opportunity to strengthen their competencies in cross-sector collaboration. Through local projects, process-related consulting, and Europe-wide exchange, the program participants put their skills into practice. The pilot stage of the program will run from autumn of 2013 until summer of 2015. In the pilot stage of the programme teams and projects in Aivero, Athen, Barcelona, Berlin, Bratislava,Benno Koch: Fahrradkultur in Europa – Bratislava: Rad fahren mit Miss Slovakia, Berlin, 8. Oktober 2014 Website of Benno Koch. Retrieved 2 February 2015. Kaunas, Maribor, ZagrebPetra Baljia: Maštovitim osvjetljenjem Gornji grad od jeseni će oživjeti i noću, 10.6.2014 Website vecernji.hr. Retrieved 2 February 2015. and Zugdidi are supported.taz article by Nina Apin: Kioske als Knotenpunkte, 13. Mai 2015 archive taz. Retrieved 21 May 2015. A programme by the Robert Bosch Foundation in cooperation with MitOst e.V.
Advocate Europe "Advocate Europe" Website of Advocate Europe. Retrieved 2 February 2015. is an open idea challenge for innovative, multi-disciplinary and non-profit work on European integration by the Mercator Foundation,Stiftung Mercator about the Idea Challenge. Retrieved 2. February 2015. implemented by MitOst in cooperation with Liquid Democracy e.V..
Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg As a keyplayer in a growing European network, MitOst supports especially young people in participating actively in their societies and in acting according to democratic principles. MitOst motivates, encourages and accompanies them throughout tailor-made qualifications and projects. MitOst offers various cross-border concepts, competencies and contacts for active citizenship. In regional co-operations the Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and MitOst e.V. supports young adults who want to shape their environment with their own projects, and trains facilitators. The porgamme was founded in 2000. The Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg inspires, qualifies and supports young people in more than 30 countries in Middel-. East- and South Eastern Europe to be an active part in their society. Since 2010, the Kollege has been focusing on cooperation programs implemented with local and regional partners. This way of working began in Russia in 2006, and the newest cooperation program is "Khatwa" in Egypt (2014). Cooperationa programmes of the Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg: activEco (Moldova) Balkans, let's get up! (Albania, Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia) Bridge It! (Baltic region and Russia) Diversity SchoolDiversit School at theodor-heuss-kolleg.de. Retrieved 2. February 2015. (Georgia) EcoLabEcolab at theodor-heuss-kolleg.de. Retrieved 2. February 2015. (Armenia) From Idea to Action (Siberia/Russia) Article about the projects of From Idea to Action in Siberia: Уроки городских изменений by Ирина Бобровская. Published 05.12.2014 Retrieved 2. February 2015. Khatwa Khatwa at theodor-heuss-kolleg.de. Retrieved 2. February 2015. (Egypt) Maysternya (Ukraine, Poland and Belarus) New Horizons New Horizons at theodor-heuss-kolleg.de. Retrieved 2. February 2015. (North Caucasus and rest of Russia) Take the Chance Take the Chance at theodor-heuss-kolleg.de. Retrieved 2. February 2015. (Turkey) Time for Development (Azerbaijan) Social Leader Forum CRISP: Social Leader Forum Retrieved 3. February 2015. (Caucasus region)article published at Website of the Federal Foreign Office Cross‑border cooperation in the Caucasus Retrieved 3. February 2015.
TANDEM — Cultural Managers Exchange MitOst qualifies cultural managers for international cultural exchange. Its projects support building partnerships between cultural actors from Europe and its neighbouring regions. MitOst supports art and cultural projects that strengthen societal development and local communities. Together with the European Cultural Foundation MitOst is realising the programme TANDEM Kulturpolitische Mitteilungen • Nr. 137 • II/2012 über Kulturmanageraustausch mit EU-Nachbarschaftsländern. Retrieved 2. February 2015. that promotes long-term partnerships amongst cultural institutions. The programme was co-created by European Cultural Foundation and MitOst e.V. in 2010 and has so far supported the professional development of over 120 cultural managers coming from ca. 35 countries in wider Europe. TANDEM is an exchange programme that assists cultural organisations in developing long-term working relationships, knowledge development and networking opportunities with project partners from Europe and beyond. The aim of the programme is to connect and inspire cultural managers by supporting the sharing of knowledge and experience across geographical and cultural borders.
TANDEM Ukraine − European Union − Moldova The first Tandem scheme was launched in 2011–2012 to foster cultural cooperation between the EU, Ukraine and Moldova. Supported by the European Commission CULTURE programme and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, it included 50 participants from more than 30 European cities.
TANDEM Turkey-European Union