Pop the Vote! | Open Call for Changemakers

All CCS and Cross-sectoral Funding All Europe Countries

Pop the Vote! is looking for young artists and/or art students from 14 EU countries to become Changemakers in their communities.

By Creatives Unite Community
September 15, 2023

The 2019 European Parliamentary Elections marked a turning point with a remarkable surge in voter turnout – the highest in 25 years. However, to bridge the generational gap in political engagement, “Pop the Vote! Culture on the Ballot” is gearing up for an electrifying initiative leading up to the 2024 elections. Led by Culture Action Europe and co-funded by the European Parliament, this project calls upon young artists and student artists, aged 18-30, to be Changemakers in their communities. In early 2024, selected Changemakers will mobilise citizens, especially underrepresented groups, using art and culture as tools to enhance political participation.

52 Changemakers across 14 EU countries will be selected to participate in the Changemakers’ Playground Camp, a one-week training programme hosted in Belgium from 10-16  February 2024. The programme will include an immersive training on artivism, campaigning and the use of artistic expression as a political language. Also during the camp, Changemakers will spend a day in Brussels learning firsthand about the European Union, its institutions and the European Parliamentary elections. By the end of the Playground Camp in Belgium, Changemakers will have designed a blueprint to carry out two events in their respective countries. These engagement events, reaching a minimum total of 100 citizens, will use arts and artivism as a methodology to trigger citizen engagement leading up to the EP elections in June 2024.

Who Culture Action Europe is looking for?

Culture Action Europe is seeking Changemakers: artists, student artists and/or cultural workers between the ages of 18-30. Changemakers are people like you who want to deepen their artistic and activism practices by exploring innovative ways of community engagement using the language of the arts and culture for political change.

Funding and Support

Selected Changemakers will receive the following:

  • A 7-day training course hosted in Belgium.
  • Travel to and from each Changemaker’s resident countries and Belgium.
  • 6 nights of accommodation.
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner for 7 days.
  • Each Changemaker will be contracted as a volunteer of Culture Action Europe (from February – June 2023) and will receive 1,197 EUR in total to support the execution of their engagement events.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Age (18-30 years old).
  • Young artists, student artists and/or cultural workers.
  • Must reside in one of the following participating countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. (Note: You do not need to be a citizen of any of the Pop the Vote! countries, but you do need to be a resident in one of them).

Requirements for applicants

  • Only one application per person will be accepted.
  • Applications from organisations will not be accepted, however, if you are accepted to the project as a Changemaker, you may choose to coordinate the planning and execution of your local engagement events in collaboration with partner organisation(s), colleagues, friends, institutions, etc.

Application Process

You must submit the following items to be considered for the Pop the Vote! project:

  • Your CV
  • A link to your website (if applicable) or social media account(s) that provides examples of your artistic work.

Your letter of motivation (max. 1 page, English) that touches upon the following:

  • Describe the community you would like to engage around participation in the 2024 European Elections and why?
  • How does your artistic practice reflect your activist values and ethos? How do you see your work impacting the community?
  • What does ‘democracy’ mean to you? How do you see this reflected (or not) in your town, city, or country?

Deadline: 15 October

Find more information here

Apply here