The Bergen Salons

What we are responding to

The balance of power favours the funder and priorities are largely determined by them.

The tendency is towards hierarchy and control which inhibits innovation.

The finance is held in departmental siloes, attributed to one-off single-issue projects that are reliant on specific funding streams.

The resulting investment is often fragmented and transactional.

Community assets are rarely recognised or leveraged and community engagement can descend into tokenism.

What we want

A more equitable balance
of power that successfully navigates the tensions between civic and civil society.

Alternative structures and financial solutions that support self-determination, cultural democracy and distributed leadership.

A move away from instrumentalism to the
holistic health of a community.

An asset-based approach
to community engagement that supports enterprise and innovation from the ground up.

A solution that supports on- going, sustainable activity that takes on a life of its own.

A system of investment, decision-making and accountability that is transparent and proportionate.

Our questions

How might we move
from funding community ‘interventions’ to sustainable community investment?

What kind of financing and budgeting arrangements might support an equitable balance of power?

What happens to accountability in an experiment with no predefined measurable targets or outcomes?

What opportunities/challenges does all this present for the City of Bergen and how might we address them?