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How Work Works | European Creative Hubs forum in Belgrade

Coconat is very honored to be a delegate at the How Work Works – European Creative Hubs forum in Belgrade.

Press Release, and all visual elements from the organizers:

9 September 2016, Belgrade-Brussels

 

Nova Iskra and the consortium partners of the European Creative Hubs Network project announce a three-day international forum titled “How Work Works”, from 22 to 24 September, in Belgrade. The event will gather about 100 hub organisations from across Europe, Serbia and the region. The rich program will also host lectures from some of the leading educational organisations from the field of creativity – Fabrica from Italy and Hyper Island from Sweden.

The international forum How Work Works is part of the European Creative Hubs Network project initiated by the British Council, in which Nova Iskra participates together with partners from Greece (Bios), Spain (Factoria Cultural), Germany (betahaus), the United Kingdom (Creative Edinburgh), Belgium (EBN) and Portugal (ADDICT). More than 150 delegates, hub leaders and a number of European and regional stakeholders will come together in Belgrade, during the first of three planned fora, in order to map the European eco-system of hubs active in the fields of culture and creativity, education, and entrepreneurship, and support their networking, knowledge exchange and capacity building.

The main part of the forum program will be held on the 23rd and 24th of September at the Yugoslav Film Archives, and will showcase keynote lectures, study cases, panel discussions, networking activities and several side events. The three main sessions are dedicated to the questions of space, community and business models of creative hubs. As a part of each session, three organisations will be presented, and then take part in a short panel discussion. The program will also host a lecture by professor Jovan Čekić (Faculty of Media & Communications Belgrade), while theatre director Paul Bourne (Cambridge Business School) will guide the participants through an interactive action that explores the nature of networking, communication and creative thinking. Those present at the opening will be addressed by Michael Davenport, Ambassador of the Delegation of the EU to Serbia.

The conference will be attended by managers of some of Europe’s leading creative hubs from more than 25 countries, including betahaus (Berlin & Sofia), Waag Society (Amsterdam), Taktal (Glasgow), Creative Edinburgh (Edinburgh), Factoria Cultural (Madrid), Sektor5 (Vienna), Todos (Lisboa), Cable Factory (Helsinki), Stpln (Malmö), The Roco (Sheffield), The Trampery (London), La Vallée (Brussels), Bios/Romantso (Athens), Republikken (Copenhagen), Poligon, Roglab (Ljubljana), MOB makerspace (Barcelona), Atölye Labs (Istanbul), The Fusebox (Brighton), Frappant (Hamburg), Design Terminal (Budapest) as well as numerous others, including all relevant local and regional initiatives.

Through its central theme and question – How work works – the forum will investigate the shifting paradigm of work as seen through the prism of creative hubs, bearing in mind that these organisations have a key role in supporting young entrepreneurs and creative people across the continent and the development of local creative industries. A special publication produced for the occasion – How Work Works: An inventory of effects – will be presented at the conference. It gathers seven critical texts dealing with the ongoing changes in the field of labour, by authors from Serbia, United Kingdom and United States, including visual contributions by the Belgrade-based artist Dušan Rajić.

The conference is closed for the public, but interested audience will have a chance to follow the soft opening of the conference on Thursday, 22 September at 7 PM at Bitef theatre. On this occasion, two lectures will be held by the representatives of Europe’s leading educational platforms from the field of creativity – Fabrica (www.fabrica.it ) and Hyperisland (www.hyperisland.com).

Sam Baron, creative director of Fabrica (“the communication research centre” that was founded in 1994 by the Benetton group and housed in an impressive complex that was designed by the renowned architect Tadao Ando) will address the methodology and the number of outstanding and award-winning projects realised at this leading European centre for design. Jon Barnes from Hyperisland, on the other hand, will dedicate his lecture Organisational Evolution to the modern organisations and innovative strategies for their development and survival in the light of great social and economic changes.

The European Creative Hubs Network project is co-funded by the European Commission, while the How Work Works forum is realised with the support of Ministry of Culture and Media of Republic of Serbia and other local partners.

www.creativehubs.eu  / www.novaiskra.com

HTW students help shape our Social Business

For sure a company like Coconat has to be economically sustainable, but money isn’t all that counts. First and foremost we understand ourselves to be  active members of society. We have received so much support from different sides and we want to give something back. Topics which are important for us, and in which we do have some expertise, include digital and entrepreneurial development in rural areas, as well as the promotion of a good work-life balance.

In our team we talk a lot about our social aims, but in the rush of the daily business of developing our company they to often gets pushed aside by ´more urgent` topics. Therefore the Coconat Team is very happy to announce our cooperation with the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin [University of Applied Sciences]. We are very excited to work with highly motivated and professional students and to get a solid outside view on our daily work. Together, with masters students in Nonprofit-Management and Public Governance (MaNGo), we will develop a creative social entrepreneurship concept for Coconat.

Coconat is Home

 

We are so happy to share our exciting news.
The good folks of Bad Belzig welcome Coconat into their community, just one hour Southwest of Berlin.

Our doors will open to everyone April 2017.

The villa, little forest, small lake and surrounding fields will easily house the workation, coworking, and coliving dreams we have imagined, and still leave room for new dreams and possibilities to grow.

We look forward to hosting the self-employed, the location independent, the flexible workers, the local commuters, the freelancers, the residents of nearby communities, the digital nomads, the big dreamers and builders and experimental farmers and architects.
Folks arriving from board rooms to surf-spots will be cheerfully welcomed at Coconat
– to relax and get some work done.

Keep your eye out this year for some pre-events too!

 

Nomad Workation

Come for DNX and Stay for a Coconat

5 – 13 May 2016

Coconat and our friends at Codino – Community of Digital Nomads in Barcelona thought we would welcome those of you joining the
DNX Digital Nomad Conference in Berlin and got everything set up for you!

And heck, why not stick around for another few days and try our the full Coconat experience in the countryside while you are at it!
Mix and mingle with fellow conference goers, and get to know the startup scene in Berlin – Both in and out of the city.

Stay for Coconat:

Of course there is more to life than the city, and what Coconat is all about is creating a unique working atmosphere in the countryside.
So come and join us after the conference madness, to relax and get some work done, with a few of your fellow nomads!

This time we are working with our wonderful partners at Gut Boltenhof for you to give the Country life a try.

• Shared Room – located in the holiday apartments, 2-4 people per room maximum mixed and male/female (please specify in inquiry)
• Private rooms – are located in the holiday apartments as well, for stays in villa, please specify in request
• Dinner – local organic vegetarian food prepared by Boltenhof’s kitchen every day of your stay (meat available for extra cost)
• 3 Meals+ – local organic vegetarian breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and coffee (meat and/or other drinks available at extra cost)
• Afternoon walk – Boltenhof is also an organic farm in the picturesque landscape of Brandenburg, we’ll take you on a different guided walk everyday
• Yoga – start your day off right, yoga every morning
• Organic Farmwork – Perhaps you want to help out on the, join the woofers on their morning chores, tending animals or the fields

For more information about facilities at Boltenhof, have a look here.