Agora is the first non-commercial and bilingual private radio in Carinthia with cultural, social and educational-political aims. The culture-laboratory „Kultur verleiht Flügel – S kulturo na krilih" is a youth-project of culture exchange, which has been made feasible by the financial support of the European Commission within the programme „connect". Its focus lies on an intensive dealing with the work and the productions of mono- and bilingual cultural initiatives in Carinthia, Slovenia and Friuli, combining organisation and content. A special challenge is the transfer of out of the ordinary and unusual aspects of cultural activities.

The intention is to offer young people a comprehensive insight into the organisational sequencing of cultural work as well as the possibility of having them deal with the contents of productions of various cultural disciplines. Getting to know the multi-facetted fields of work in the cultural scene, e.g. directing, dramaturgy, stage-setting, light-and soundengineering can motivate young people for finding new job and carreer opportunities. On the one hand the young people visit/ participate in the cultural initiatives on sight, on the other hand the possiblities of the internet are also taken advantage of for making investigations and research.

The result of dealing actively with the various cultural disciplines, its producers and activists leads to six up to ten radio features, which are either broadcasted as recordings or live by Radio Agora. During the phase of carrying out the young people are offered to make use of Radio Agora´s infrastructure. With some of the partners live-broadcastings via internet (real audio) have been planned.

Exchange of experience and cooperation on a European level become possible because of the working together with the transnational partner radios. The project is based on the most effective use of synergy. Several levels weave into each other because of this overall coordination of the various levels.

Young people get to know the cultural initiatives, their intentions, the work-phases as well as the work-areas within the cultural field, in Carinthia as well as in Slovenia and in Friuli; they gain competence in designing and build-up of radio broadcasting and become aquainted with the possibilities of the new media (techniques of broadcasting, real audio, internet).

Knowledge such gained leads to an „audible result", goes public. The production of features has been implemented as a motivating factor and is meant to invite to an intensive dealing with the topic and to create greater publicity for cultural initiatives and its activists.

The integration of project partners opens up additional means of implementation. The project can be used and taken on in their regions and further. At the project´s closure a CD edition of all broadcasts shall be edited, such adding to its further distribution and inviting to imitation and follow up work.

The project is meant to further intercultural and multicultural awareness and add to an increased interest in the cultural activities of the bordering countries via the getting to know each other personally at the different locations, and via the use of the internet as a means of broadcasting and communication. By integrating several young people and cultural initiatives of the Slovene speaking minority as well as by working at Radio Agora the project aims at initiating more communication and tolerance between the two ethnic groups.

The project lasts from 1st November 1999 till 31st July 2001. Basically there are three periods:
1. 11. 2000 - 30. 04. 2000
Planning and concepts
1. 05. 2000 - 31. 05. 2001
Realization: work with young people, visiting cultural initiatives, producing Radio Agora broadcasts
1. 06. 2001 - 31. 07. 2001
follow-up work, documentation, final report

1. Phase

This first phase was used by the management of Radio Agora for preparing the necessary spatial infrastructure within the radio organisation and the personnel recruitment of the project participants (hearings and interviews). There were further arrangements with the partner radios, and the decision on the target group was arrived at. Parallel there was preliminary work dealt with such as researching the area of cultural initiatives in Slovenia, personal contacts with Radio Študent in Ljubljana and preliminary considerations as to the design of the project´s home page.

Following all this there were the preparatory and organisational activities for working with the young people. Among these the planning of the methodological and didactical arrangement, e.g. the clarification of the size of the group, the linguistic prerequisites and dealing with multilingualism, the development of motivating activities in the area of cultural transfer, the organisational planning with regard to training concerning the design of features and techniques for radio and transmissions.

The project was presented in several schools, preliminary talks were held with interested young people, and the participants were nominated. Furthermore there was the coordination with the partner radios concerning exchange and distribution of information and experience/ expertise, and also the building up of contacts with cultural initiatives of our choice, especially in Slovenia and Friuli.

This was also the period of preparing for the concepts of the criteria for evaluating the phase of realization.

2. Phase

In a first meeting, after a warming up phase (getting to know each other, motivation, group-building) timing and organisational procedures got clarified. The group was offered a theretical unit containing a survey over the cultural initiatives in Slovenia and Carinthia, and an introduction into radiojournalism, design of features and doing interviews. A one-hour radio transmission for presenting the project in Slovene, Italian, English and German got produced, and offered to the partnerradios. Also a jingle was prepared as a call sign and advertising for the transmissions.

The project was presented to the public in a party. So far the young people have seen two cultural initiatives (Carinthia and Friuli), and have used the means of the internet for doing research. A specific homepage has been developed, and is being added to continuously.

3. Phase

Two months have been assigned to doing the documentation, evaluation and final report. This documentation can be accessed via internet on the project´s homepage. The cooperation with the young people will come to a closure in a festival, during which the results (e.g.the CD-edition of the transmissions produced) will be presented. With the partner radios possible further cooperations are to be discussed.

Target group/ criteria for election

As the cooperation with the young people has been planned over a rather long period of 13 months, and as it seemed advisable to keep the membership of the group rather constant (e.g.for evaluating progress) it had been decided to address pupils of higher educational schools; agerange 15 to 16, in order not to have the continuous work on the project clash or interfere with the demands of the school (preparing for the school leaving certificates). The heads of four schools in Klagenfurt got addressed, namely the grammar school Viktring, Waldorfschool Klagenfurt, and two bilingual advanced educational schools, namely the grammar school for Slovenes, and the bilingual college of commerce. In doing so the aim of furthering communication beyond the borders of the country (Friuli/ Italy and Slovenia) is being taken into consideration, as well as communication of the young people with the bilingual ethnic group in Carinthia. The groupsize has been decided upon to range from eight to ten. A higher number of participants would not make sense neither for reasons of methodological, didactical and group-dynamic considerations, nor from resources of infrastructure. Today the group consists of eight participants.

Groupwork

For a start the young people were offered a survey over the scene of the cultural initiatives in Carinthia and Slovenia, and its structure, organisation, motivation, field of activity and conditions of work. It was followed by a theoretical part of an introduction into journalism and transmission design, and practical technical schooling in dealing with recordings and microphones, with computer and studio technology, with soft- and hardware.

After extensive investigations the first attendance of a cultural initiative was in June 2000. With the young people we went to watch the theatre k.l.a.s. at its test work towards an adaptation of the „Urfaust". The young people got an insight into the various sequences of producing, and also into technical and portraying aspects. They had the opportunity to discuss with the staff details concerning the building of the stage, equipment, organisation, directing and music, and to do interviews. Then the raw material such gathered got analysed, music and directing discussed, and explanatory texts were recorded by the young people, taking turns in doing the tasks. The participants learned to put into practice the theory they had just become aquainted with before for the first time. So the first radio broadcast, done all by the young people themselves, got finished just in time; it was offered to Radio Frei in Erfurt to be taken on for its premiere.

In the beginning of July we organised a journey to Topolò/Friuli, to gain an understanding of the organisation and the artistic aims of the initiative „Stazione di Topolò", which has existed for seven years. The athmosphere of that village is attracting artists from all over the world, and so the young people were able to make use of this opportunity to do interviews in several languages and to get to know artists from various disciplines and nations. Afterwards we went to see the studio of our partners from Radio Onde Furlane in Udine, where the group also gained a survey over the cultural scene in the region of Friuli. Following the rules of journalism a concept for broadcasting was developed together. The contribution was cut on the computer and produced, and so a 45 minute trilingual feature developed, which has already been taken on by our partners, Radio Študent and Radio Onde Furlane.

In both cases the investigations in the internet concerning the cultural initiatives proved useful with regard to the designing of the feature.

This coming September we have planned an excursion to the hEXPO in Ljubljana. There the young people participate in lectures on the topic new media and culture. As an active part of the hEXPO the young people of the project „Kultur verleiht Flügel – S kulturo na krilih" will produce a live report , which will be taken over by Radio Agora, and which will also be offered to other free radios via „live stream". We also plan to produce a documentary of the hEXPO, using the sound material we have collected in situ.

In addition to the visits to the various cultural initiatives and the subsequent radio-productions we have provided for group meetings in which to discuss the experiences and to prepare for the next steps. The project´s homepage serves as a further forum for talking things over (ideas, experiences, coordination). On this interactive page the project gets documented and one can listen to the radio broadcasts. The visitor is invited to participate in the process of discussing it. The young people learn step by step how to do and how to actualize the homepage.

The Carinthian cultural scene is characterized by a few overregional well known big events, numerous traditional associations for folkmusic, and small so called free cultural initiatives. The free cultural initiatives have positioned themselves insofar in an important role, as they – especially in rural areas – very often are the only ones that provide for cultural activities. Especially in the area of the contemporary cultural development they add to the vivacity and health of a region, be it as organisers or as producers. Also this is the way how best to use Carinthia´s potential: she is situated as a European bordercountry and is inhabited in some areas by a Slovene speaking minority. Although this makes for an overall lively cultural scene, its audience is rather scarce.
Compared with Slovenia and Friuli the situation of the Carinthian cultural initiatives can be surveyed most easily, as its network structure is well developed. A few years ago there was a basic data research concerning the initiatives, which offers insights into their organisation, infrastructure, audience, programme and budgeting. The Slovene scene of the cultural initiatives is hard to get hold of especially in the rural areas; a network at best can be found in the internet (see Ljudmila). The initiatives are organized similarly to those in Carinthia and in Austria, and are confronted with similar problems. Most difficult for investigations is the situation in Friuli, also because of different financing structures, hardly continuously working organisations, but rather punctual promoters on a private basis. Whereas cultural cooperations of a most varied kind exist between Slovenia and Carinthia, the Friuli link works best in the area of music only.

With this project Radio Agora has set itself the aim (among others) to send a special focus on cultural initiatives, and to get especially young people interested.

Selection of cooperating cultural initiatives, with short description:
Theatre k.l.a.s. – Völkermarkt/Carinthia
Theatre k.l.a.s. makes use of the ambiente of the ruins of a castle, which in the meantime has been restored partly, in order to offer a play which yearly has been specially adapted for this place. In 2000 „D.Faust – liquid memories" dealt in a rather unconventional way with the Faust myth. K.l.a.s. attempts to work with the locals, and in its accompanying programme it offers also readings, music and lectures during the time of its four weeks opening.

Stazione di Topolò/Friuli
Topolò is a village near the Slovenian border which suffers strongly from people moving away. Yet for two to four weeks per year it becomes a meeting point for artists from all over the year (fine arts, installations, music projects etc.) The artists live and work in the village, interact and present the results of their efforts with integrating the place and its people. Films, music and a village festival offer the framework.

hEXPO – Ljubljana, Koper, Maribor/Slovenia
The hEXPO is in its first year, from 17th August to 15th September 2000, and is meant to be continued next year. An international collective of producers of art, educational tutors and students get together in the towns of Maribor, Ljubljana and Koper. Continuous workshops, seminars and performances happen on public places in these towns. As a field of experiment and for reasons of demonstrating strategies for the use of new media they aim at offering an intermediary platform between creative individuals and independent culture transfer people.

Metelkova mesto – Ljubljana/Slovenia
Metelkova is the biggest sociocultural centre in Slovenia and member of the TEH (Trans Europe Halles). Its selfunderstanding is that of a town in its own right, a cosmos of its own, and it offers a space for cultural activities in all sections of the arts to numerous initiatives.

K&K – kultur in komunikacija – St.Johann im Rosental/Carinthia
K&K has restored an old school house with the support and help of the local villagers, and has developed it with seminar-, event-, and exhibitionrooms to a cultural centre. Situated in the bilingual area it offers a place for cultural exchange and meeting between the two ethnic groups.

Ljudmila – Ljubljana/Slovenia
The Ljubljana Digital Media Lab supports training, research and work with the internet and offers experience with digital video, electronic art, digital and analog radio, communication and hardware production for numerous cultural organisations, artists, scientists, social and ecological initiatives and offers help with their presentation in the internet.

Unikum – Klagenfurt/Carinthia
The university´s cultural centre at the university of Klagenfurt regards itself as a place of experiment for contemporary art and its placing. It is a workshop for cultural projects which supports the dialogue between art and science and thereby takes on a bridging function between the university´s and the local region´s public. It intends to integrate intercultural ways of expression, and the culture of the ethnic minority in Carinthia.

Partners

Radio Študent in Ljubljana/ Slovenia
Is a private radio with alternative contemporary programme.

Radio Onde Furlane in Udine/ Friuli Julia-Venetia
Offers ethnic goup radio for the Friuli population for the support and dissemination of Friuli.

Radio Ceredigion in Ceredigion/ Wales GB
Broadcasts as bilingual radio at the west coast of Wales in Welsh and English.

Radio FREI in Erfurt/Germany
Is a noncommercial local free radio for the region of Erfurt, with the aim of supporting free local and regional media.

Cooperations

Within the frame of the project there is an exchange of experience and information regarding the topics culture transfer for young people, the role of the new media in the cultural understanding of the young, culture for and by minorities, youth and the new media. In the field of exchange of information and expertise mainly new communication technologies are going to be used, e.g, a live-stream on internet to Klagenfurt within the frame of the hEXPO.

The cooperation of AGORA with other free radios in Austria and the participation in the project of European partnerradios makes a widest distribution for the project possible. The partners involved report about the project and broadcast the multilingually produced radio programmes of the young people or cooperate by way of internet distribution.

The evaluation is being done by the association for the securing of quality and psychotherapy (AQ) in Klagenfurt. The work with the young people in the phase of its realization is being evaluated. When the project goes into its closure also the cultural initiatives visited and the partnerradios are going to be questioned concerning the quality of the cooperation. Different questionaires have been developed for the different phases of the project.

With the young people a basic enquiry is made that covers the situation as it is, two work-in-progress enquiries and one end of project enquiry. The work-in-progress enquiries are meant to document the developmental course and on the other hand they are meant to offer the possibility to do necessary course correction work if required by the results of the enquiry.

At the beginning of the group-work the basic enquiry tested the previous knowledge of the young people. The series of questions were aimed at gathering insights concerning motivation, experience with group work and project work, languages, relation with neighbouring countries, expertise in the field of new technologies, culture- and radiowork. The analysis indicated a relatively homogenous group with a high level of inner motivation. Two members gave Slovene as their mother tongue, one Friuli respectively Italian. The other members speak German and English only. Concerning cultural activities in Carinthia the young people feel well informed, yet not at all about those in the neighbouring countries. All own a computer, and the majority has experience in dealing with the internet. It is being used mainly for games and communication.

In the first work-in-progress enquiry, which has been added in a condensed version to the report (see enclosure), the young people were questioned in the fields of the conditions frameing the project, contentedness with the project facilitators, social component (groupwork) and individual component. The results in all four fields resulted in a mean between 1 and 2. The scaling of the 5step scale was done according to the marking system as done in Austrian schools, 1 being the positive pole, 5 the negative pole. The participants expressed selfcriticism in the fields of concentration, attention and commitment, criticism as concerning presentation, actuality and variation of use of media. Yet the enquiry was done directly after the theoretical unit, at a time when no excursion to the cultural initiatives had happened yet. Also to be made aware of will be the use and transfer of the project for the persons individually. The second work-in-progress enquiry has been planned for January 2001.