The meaning of community
A study about what Community means hosted by the Canadian University of Waterloo tried to synthesize and explain the term by presenting a review of 66 different published definitions of the word ‘community’ based on human behaviours and interaction. The results identified that physical proximity was the most often discussed topic regarding neighbourhood and geographical location regarding the concept of community. Another important notion that the study on community revealed is that there is something shared between people. This can come from shared ties, interests, and identity. Some other definitions mentioned the importance of interaction between the members of such a community, emphasising that with different types of interaction, the sense of belonging will come and the preservation of the community.
We forget that we are a part of a community
With all our daily incurred thoughts and responsibilities, some of us tend to forget the importance of community in our lives and our need to be part of it. To see the bigger picture can be a struggle, but it is all about taking a step back and being able to see things from different perspectives and angles. Your co-workers, your family, the diverse group of friends you have, the people that share the same nationality, or even us, as a human race. We are all part of a clan, a group, a network, or a community. One of those essential communities is the neighbourhood that you are part of, our Kiez, Friedrichshain!
Art lives inside us
Kulturschöpfer started nine years ago to be a space in the Kiez for the culture makers that live there. Your first thought might be, ‘well, I am not a culture maker!’ However, each one of us KS a culture maker! It does not matter if you are an engineer, a graphic designer, a musician, a preschool teacher, a stay-at-home parent, or an artist. Each one of us is shaping, influencing, and making culture right where we are, whether it be at home, at work, at the gym, or with our friends. We each have the opportunity to influence the culture, no matter how big or small, where we are at.
What is the uniqueness of Kulturschöpfer?
Friedrichshain, in particular, Berlin is oversaturated with cultural institutions and opportunities, so what makes us unique? Our mission is to offer a space where the community can engage with one another, create together, and inspire each other, seeing culture holistically as something that unites us. At Kulturschöpfer, we offer cultural experiences which encourage people to dream big. We want to empower each individual to realize that they are a Culture Maker, and together as a community, we have the ability to positively influence the culture that surrounds us and renew it to a place of thriving. We want to be the place in the neighbourhood that want to experience or try something new but want a safe, familiar, and encouraging space to do so. We are reaching out to you to hear from you and to hear what passions, desires, needs, and concerns those who live in our neighbourhood have. Your voice matters, and it has a place not only in our neighbourhoods but in Kulturschöpfer as well.
Conclusion
Our Kiez is so important to us. That is why we started, and it energizes us to think about what potential our neighborhood has. There are still so many unknown hidden talented people with incredible ideas and vision; they are the next generation of culture makers right here in our neighborhood. As a part of integrating our neighborhood for the upcoming year, we are rethinking different ways to engage, inspire and create together. For that, we launched a research campaign in the form of a Survey to get to know YOU better. This survey will help us build a new program to extend our reach and connect more with the neighborhood by creating new and different types of inspiring events so that we can wake up in the morning, feel that we belong, and make part of something together.
That's why we invite you to participate in improving our neighborhood by giving us your feedback and thoughts by filling out this small survey.
Let's start this new year with new opportunities.
The KS Team