Participation
For over 30 years, public participation is an inherent part of the State Capital Hannover’s local politics. The public’s participation was an essential factor during our application as European Capital of Culture and runs through the application like a recurring theme. Starting with the impulse initiated by Mein Hannover 2030 and the collection of several ideas during various newsstand tours, all the way to founding think tanks as well as several advisory committees for project development: participation is a big part of Hannover!
Mein Hannover 2030
Roundabout 200 bigger and smaller events with approximately 17,000 interested people, more than 1,400 suggestions regarding the State Capital’s future – the city concept “Mein Hannover 2030” was formed on these grounds. One of ten goals was the State Capital’s application for the title “European Capital of Culture 2025”. The goals, strategies and exemplary projects named in the city concept will constantly be discussed and evaluated so that we can continually change and optimize them according to the frameworks.
If you want to find out more about Mein Hannover 2030, please see here (pdf-Download, 2.3 MB).
Hannoverian newsstand tour
With more than 340 newsstands, Hannover has one of the highest densities of newsstands in Germany. So it's no surprise that the Hannoverians love their newsstands. Here, they meet their friends and acquaintances, talk with their neighbors from around the quarter or the district. They talk about certain topics, develop ideas and make plans. The newsstand is the ideal place to get the Hannoverians to talk. And the Capital of Culture newsstand came to every city district so that they would talk about Hannover’s application as the European Capital of Culture.
This way the European Capital of Culture’s application team discussed with over 10,000 (!) Hannoverians, listened to their fears and ideas, and included them in the application – true to our motto “Here Now Everyone”!
Events
Not only during our newsstands tour we wanted to get in touch with the Hannoverians: At several public events we had exciting discussions with artists, cultural experts and interested parties and created and developed numerous projects together. From our monthly Cultural Jour Fix in different cultural locations in Hannover, via our workshop series "Out Of The Box", the founding of "Aufnahmezustand", a newly-found network of more than 160 cultural experts in Hannover, or several other events: Without the expertise of all the participants, our application would not be what it is now!
Think Tanks
Ten interdisciplinarily assembled think tanks, each “equipped” with ten people, were developed. In these groups, experts of the local networks, artists, cultural workers, scientists, representatives of the economy, media and religious groups, city planners and many more have gotten together. Together, diversely blended, they discussed big European topics, participated in intensive exchanges and developed exciting projects for the Capital of Culture 2025’s application.
Advisory groups
From the moment they decided to apply, the application’s team had three advisory groups aiding them: a committee, a boards of trustees as well as a culture council. From then on, they acted as multipliers and brought the idea of the Capital of Culture into their areas and networks and made sure that their interests were heard and considered in the application process. The ambassador is a representative of the Capital of Culture: an extraordinary personality with a great reputation and a clear standing. With its line-up of dedicated administration workers, the promotion circle offers another important perspective on the application as European Capital of Culture 2025.
Here you can read more about the boards and their members:
The Advisory board consists of experts and multipliers of different surroundings and target groups. It advises on every topic regarding participation during the application process. This especially affects open and broad-based participation processes with the goal of reaching a lot of people in Hannover. One focal point are children, teenagers, seniors and people with a migrant background.
Chairpersons are Ninia Binias (author and artist Ninia LaGrande) and Kai Schirmeyer (kre|H|tiv Netzwerk Hannover e.V.).
The board of trustees consists of leading representatives of economy, science, education, unions, marketing, media and religion. The committee advises the application’s team on focusing the central idea, planning and implementing flagship projects as well as signing the cultural development plan. The board members add their national and international contacts and networks.
Chairwomen are Marlis Fertmann (journalist and organizer of the NDR Klassik Open Air) and Katharina Lohmann (former marketing director of RUHR 2010).
The arts council consists of locally, regionally, nationally and internationally working, renowned and famous cultural figures with local, Hannoverian art and culture expertise, who have established themselves in different cultural areas.
The arts council advises strategically on cultural visions of the culture program regarding the application as Capital of Culture on the one hand, and on the other hand it advises regarding the contents of artistic projects of the bid books and the focal points of the cultural development plan.
Chairwoman is Magdalena Jackstadt (Hannover VOIDS), vice chairman is Stefan Becker (chairman of the Freunde des Sprengel Museum Hannover e.V.).
In December 2017, the promotion circle of the State Capital Hannover under the Lord Mayor’s patronage started for the fourth time. 19 gender balanced administration colleagues prevailed in a selection process.
Until summer 2020, they will partake in several qualification trainings, get to know other areas of the State Capital Hannover and deal with current and future oriented topics of the LHH via projects and workshops. The basis for the individual development needs is an orientation center at the beginning of the promotion circle.
Those young talents find support in the human resources development team, through experienced mentors as well as the Lord Mayor and their directors. During participation of the application process as European Capital of Culture 2025, members of the circle were invited to different workshops and dealt with concepts of a future oriented city administration.
The world renowned pianist Igor Levit, who was raised and rose to fame in Hannover and who calls himself “pianist, citizen, European”, is the application’s cultural ambassador.
“Hannover has a fantastic radio orchestra, one of the world’s greatest higher education institutions for music, countless choirs, the KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen, lots of theater, a one of a kind art scene. We’ve been a capital of culture this whole time, now we want the corresponding title”, Igor Levit said during his concert on September 4, 2018 in the NDR concert hall in Hannover.
We are happy and proud to know that this very important person is by our side during the application as Capital of Culture!