The creative ThinkTank is already entering its fifth round in December 2024! This time it's all about tolerance! We are once again looking for curious, creative and open-minded students who want to express themselves creatively around the topic of tolerance. These can be photographs, songs, works of art, short films, short stories, poetry slams, etc. No previous experience is necessary to take part in the collaborative cultural experiment.
You weren't at our info evening? No problem, in the following text we explain how this year's edition of United We Create works and how you can be part of it! You can also download our presentation (in German) from the info evening here.
New: The project starts at the same time for all cultural disciplines!
Click here to go directly to registration!
What is United We Create?
“United We Create” is a project organized by the Kulturförderung, which is already taking place for the fifth time. Students from all disciplines and university locations of the Studierendenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz deal creatively with a topic. A variety of artistic forms of expression such as music, sound, film, theater, painting, photography or text are used to create diverse perspectives. The participants are inspired by their individual artistic approaches and points of view.
What's new?
While in previous “United We Create” projects the cultural disciplines (visual arts/literature and text/music and sound) worked one after the other, this time there is a decisive innovation: the project starts for everyone at the same time. This means that no matter how you want to deal with the topic - writing, painting, drawing, photographing or composing a song - everyone is invited to submit artistic contributions from the very beginning. Of course, you can also send several contributions and are welcome to try out different artistic disciplines.
The Padlet - our creative inspiration platform
A central component of this year's edition is our Padlet. A padlet is a digital pinboard where content can be easily collected, shared and organised. All participants will receive access to a password-protected Padlet, where we will provide you with inspiration and initial ideas for your work.
What makes it special: The Padlet lives from its constantly growing content. The contributions you submit are constantly uploaded by us and serve as additional inspiration for all participants. This means that the Padlet is constantly changing and remains a constant source of inspiration for you. Therefore, please submit your contributions directly and don't wait until the closing date!
The project is also explicitly aimed at students who have no previous experience in an artistic field. We would like to invite you to experiment and discover different forms of representation on the topic together with others - with regard to the topic, we are particularly interested in entering into an exchange, initiating debates and making your thoughts on “tolerance” visible, legible and audible.
Procedure
- Registration: From 02.12. via this link: Registration United We Create.
- Online platform: All submissions will be uploaded to a shared online platform. You can find inspiration there at any time, exchange ideas with others or react to existing works and develop them further. The platform is only accessible to project participants, not to the public.
- Get creative: Submit your contribution or several contributions.
First guideline: 06.01.2025
Final submission deadline: 02.02.2025 - Accompanying events: During the project, workshops (e.g. writing workshops) will be held at the various university locations to enable direct exchange between participants. Another online meeting is also planned before the submission deadline. Here you can gather feedback, collect new ideas or clarify open questions.
- Flexible entry: You can join the project at a later date at any time.
- Conditions of participation: Anyone who is enrolled at a university supervised by the Studierendenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz at the time of the closing date for entries on 02.02.2025 can take part. All participants must register for the competition via the Studierendenwerk homepage.
Why tolerance?
The topic of tolerance is more relevant than ever. At a time when political and social tensions are increasing worldwide, it is clear how often intolerance leads to conflict - be it due to origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political beliefs. Polarization, populist rhetoric and growing prejudices are visible in many countries and influence social cohesion.
But tolerance is more than just accepting differences - it means consciously creating space for diversity, valuing different perspectives and treating each other with respect, even when opinions or lifestyles differ.
Current challenges such as the climate crisis, refugee movements and digital disinformation require a common approach based on solidarity, which is only possible through mutual understanding and openness. Tolerance can build bridges and facilitate dialogue that helps to reduce tensions and find creative solutions.
With United We Create 5 - Tolerance, we want to help promote this essential attitude and make it visible - through your personal stories, ideas and artistic forms of expression.
Are you interested? We look forward to your registration and creative contributions!
Contact for enquiries:
Maria Hauner / Bianca Leonie Bauer / Claudia Erl / Maria Pohl