The British Council has launched its search for a diverse range of individuals working in the cultural sector to form part of the new cohort of participants in the Cultural Leadership International (CLI) programme 2010 which focuses on supporting a new generation of cultural practitioners to develop their leadership skills and networks and provide them with tools to enable them understand the power of culture to better influence their societies.
Ten participants from the UAE will have the opportunity to become part of a global network of next generation cultural leaders who value the role of culture in society and to acquire new skills and ideas to drive the sector forward.
CLI is a programme of activities which facilitates leadership networking and exchange in the broader cultural sector (arts, science, education etc). Through direct engagement with a diverse range of individuals and organisations in the international cultural sector, the programme will enhance intercultural understanding and support economic growth, cultural development and social change.
This year the participants in the programme will come from the UK, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. These mid-career professionals who might work freelance or within large organisations, should come from various fields in the cultural sectors but all will have a shared commitment to make a difference within their societies.
Nassir Bin Hashim, last year CLI participant from Sharjah Museums said:
‘CLI has provided me with a huge opportunity from which I’ve learned a lot to enrich both my personal and working lives. The skills I’ve developed and the international networks I’ve made as a result of the programme have had a direct impact on advancing in my career.’
Sheethal Rishi, British Council Arts Project Manager, UAE said:
‘In the UAE, where the creative and cultural sector is growing both in complexity and importance, it is now, during rapidly-changing and unstable times worldwide, that the cultural sector has a unique and vital role to play and to contribute immensely to social and economic development.
‘This is where the British Council’s CLI programme fits in by providing a fertile common ground for all participants to engage directly to create strong international partnerships, collaborative projects/working practices and share models of leadership development that will help contribute to a stronger international cultural sector with the UK at its centre.’
