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25.06.2016 / hjv

Version 1,

Minutes for second partner meeting

inManor of Bistrampolis, LT, 20 – 22June 2016

Content

Participants

Aims and key activities of the second meeting

Minutes

Item 1: Formalities

Item 2: Since last time

Item 3: Outcome of the baseline surveys (WP 03)

Item 4: The local pilot strategies (WP 04)

Item 5: Adjustment of budget

Item 6: Plan the local pilot work, June – Dec 2016 (WP 06)

Item 7: Plan the dissemination activities (WP 7a)

Item 8: Plan the evaluation plan and procedures (WP 7b)

Item 9: Guidelines for reporting and re-applying after 1st year

Item 10: Time and place for the third partner meeting, Jan 2017 in Minsk

Item 11: Evaluation of the previous work

Item 12: A.O.B. (any other business)

Annexes to the agenda

Participants

Bente von Schindel, KSD (DK)(+45) 29 64 70 40

Hans Jørgen Vodsgaard, IF (DK)(+45) 51 300 320

Tomas Järvinen, FSU (FI)(+358) 40 5844 655

Agnieszka Dadak, FAIE (PL)(+48) 511 551 439

Rafał Dadak, FAIE (PL)(+48) 881 676 468

Alicia Shibitskaya, UW (BY)(+375) (29) 630 32 76

Regina Žirgulevičienė, LPDA (LT)(+370) 657 599 55

AisteVarkuleviciute, LPDA (LT) (+370) 64805932

Aims and key activities of the second meeting

The overall aim of this second meeting is to bridge the start-up analysis and pilot work strategy (WP 03 and WP 04) to the initiation of the pilot work, June – Dec 2016 (WP6), summarizing the state of the project and lead the way forward for the project and for the partners.

The objectives are:

  1. To present, discuss and clarify the outcome of the baseline surveys (WP 03)
  2. To present, discuss and clarify the provided local pilot strategies (WP 04)
  3. To detail plan the upstart of the local pilot work (WP 06)
  4. To refine the budget and work programme, especially for WP 06
  5. To plan the dissemination activities
  6. To plan the evaluation plan and procedures
  7. To clarify guidelines for reporting of 1st project year and re-applying for the 2nd project year
  8. To evaluate the preceding work and current meeting

Minutes

Item 1: Formalities

1a) Welcome and practical information

Regina welcomed the participants and informed about practical matters.

1b) Appoint a moderator and a reporter

Bente was appointed as moderator and Hans appointed as reporter.

1c) Approval of the agenda

The proposed agenda, version 1 was approved.

1d) Sign Attendance List

The Attendance List was signed by all participants.

Item 2: Since last time

2a) News from the coordinator

Hans has finally got answer from NCM on how to make a short interim report and get the second instalment after the completion of the second partner meeting. The contact persons are

  • Izabela Butenko-Olesen, International adviser, Direct+45 29 69 29 51, mail:
  • Evelina Morvai, Co-ordinator, Direct+45 21 71 71 32, mail:

Hans have had the second meeting with the external auditor, Lisbet Kindvig from RIR revision, where the proposed chart of accounts and the procedures of reporting were approved by the auditor. The budgeted 2000 euro per year for the external audit was also confirmed by the auditor.

The instalments for the first project year are divided with 40 pct at the start, 45 pct after the interim report in July and 15 pct after the final report at the end of the first year. This implies that the refunding of the main part of the salary costs of WP 06: initiate pilot work first can be completed after the final report has been approved and the last instalment is paid, properly primo February 2017. Hereby the partners must plan to have the cash flow to manage a 2 months period with delayed refunding.

The meeting took note of this information.

2b) News from partners

Alicia mentioned that it had been a challenge during the start-up to clarify and deliver the needed financial documentation, and she expected she still would need some advice on how to fulfil the management demands. Hans mentioned that the needed management procedures could be demanding to fulfil during the start-up, but thereafter it should be a lot easier to handle for all.

2c) Other issues

Aiste presented herself and her work place, the manor of raudondvariopilis – see

No other news to report.

Item 3: Outcome of the baseline surveys (WP 03)

3a) Presentations of the mini-surveys, by all partners

The partners presented the essentials of their mini-surveys. The presentations are uploaded to the project websites – see

3b-c) Guideline for final edition of the multilateral survey report

Hans is editor of the survey report. Decided:

  • All partners can if needed edit their final English version and send the word edition latest 1July to Hans and the partners. Please remember to attach 2-3 illustrative photos for the article.
  • Hans edit and publish latest 15 July the final English survey report.
  • All partners make latest 1Julya half page summary in English and send it to Hans and the partners. Hans make latest 15 Julya common short edition in English with the summaries and a short introduction. This short edition can be used for translations to own languages, latest 15 Aug.
  • The full report and the summary in English will be uploaded to the project website. All partners can use the full English report as well as their translated summary for their own national dissemination of the project.

Item 4: The local pilot strategies (WP 04)

4a) Common guidelines for the local strategies

Bente referred to her “Common strategic guidelines for the local pilot work” send 30 May to the partners.

4b) Presentations of the local pilot strategies, by all partners

The partners had before the meeting send their outline of pilot strategies, which has been uploaded to the project website – see

The partners presented their local pilot strategies at the meeting. The power point presentations are uploaded to the project websites – see

4c) Guidelines for local prospect materials to main stakeholders

During the start-up of the local pilot work, the partners will prepare and distribute local prospect and PR materials to main stakeholders.

The meeting decided that all partners latest 1 September also shall send their local prospect materials to the other partners and make a short English summary of the essentials, so the partnership can gain mutual inspiration.

4d) Guidelines for final edition of the multilateral strategy document

Bente is editor of the strategy document. Decided:

  • All partners can if needed edit their final English version and send the word edition latest 1July to Bente and the partners. The final survey report will only be in English.
  • Bente will latest 1 Augustmake an introduction, edit and layout the plans (using visual identity of project) and publish the Pilot work strategy, English PDF-edition

Item 5: Adjustment of budget

5a) Presentation of adjusted budget 2016

Hans presented the adjusted budget, v4 – which was send 9 June to the partners.

The former budgets were:

  • Budget v1, 29.05.2015 - refers to the budget of the application,
  • Budget v2, 22.11.2015 – refers to the adjusted budget, which NCM demanded
  • Budget v3, 18.01.2016 – refers to the adjustments for the first meeting, where the number of work days was increased a little and the meeting costs were reduced a little.

This new budget v4, 8.6.2016 includes the following adjustments compared to v3:

  • the actual salary levels are lower than budgeted for most partners, and therefore the number of work days are increased, especially for P3-P6 from 44-45 to 50 – 52, so the total salary refunding (number of days x salary per day) is more or less unchanged. More specific:
  • LPDA gets 1 day extra from KSD for making the logo,
  • IF get 6 days more from KSD for making the website.
  • P3-P6 get the work days in WP 6/initiate pilot work increased with 5 days from 18 to 23 and P2, KSD increased with 4 days, while IF get a reduction with 0,75 days.
  • All get an increase of 0,5 day in WP 7B/ evaluation, and P2 –P6 get an increase with 0,2 day in WP 7C / management.
  • IF has the number of work days in WP 3/Baseline reduced with 0,5; in WP 4/pilot planning reduced with 0,8; in WP 6/ initiate pilot work reduced with 0,75 days.

So the main change/increase is in WP 06/Initiate pilot work, because the funder, NCM like activity oriented work, and not the preparation and management work.

5b)Decide guidelines for the remaining budget of 2016/1st project year

The meeting took note of the proposed budget adjustments and approved the adjusted budget, v4.

The meeting also discussed the possibility for extra local funding, especially for the pilot work. Tomas mentioned the new Leader programme (EU regional funding) as a possibility for extra multilateral/ bilateral funding for all partners. See

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Item 6: Plan the local pilot work, June – Dec 2016 (WP 06)

6a) Clarify common guidelines for the local pilot work

The meeting discussed the need for common guidelines and concluded that each partner has relatively free hands to plan their own means to fulfil the common objectives of the work package, and to adjust their own time schedules for the key activities as long as the work package can be concluded latest ultimo December 2016.

The point is that each local pilot plan will be related to specific local conditions and there is no reason to demand the same priorities and time schedules for all partners. The partners thereby have relative high autonomy to plan and initiate their pilot work.

6b) Clarify possible partnership communication / mutual help and advices during the pilot work

The next partner meeting is in Feb 2017, and the meeting agreed that there could be a need to secure the common dialogue during WP 06: Initiate pilot work, June – Dec 2016.

To secure an ongoing exchange of experiences the meeting decided:

  • We shall share our work and results by sending all essential plans, materials and results to the other partners during the work package;
  • We shall have at least two Skype meetings in the autumn, respectively in Sept and Nov. The dates should be clarified latest primo August, and Hans will send a doodle to the partners latest 1 July with possible dates for the meetings.

6c) Clarify common time schedule for the upstart of the local pilot work

The common time schedule indicates

  1. The local pilot plans and project prospects should be provided ultimo June - primo August
  2. The local pilot teams should be established mid August
  3. The stakeholder network should be developed primo Sept
  4. The training events for culture volunteers should be completed latest ultimo Sept
  5. The local pilot work should be initiated primo Oct
  6. The initial work should be evaluated and reported mid Dec

These dates are only indicative. Each partner may have specific conditions that justify a revised schedule during the work package; however the objectives of the work package should be realised latest mid Dec, so the evaluation and reporting can be provided before Christmas.

6d)Clarify guidelines for the evaluation and reporting at the end of the work package

The meeting decided to deal with this issue later in item 8a:The evaluation procedures.

Item 7:Plan the dissemination activities (WP 7a)

7a) The dissemination strategy

Hans mentioned, in general dissemination is a very important part of any international project, not least because the funder, in this case NCM, only recognises the value of the project outcome, if it is disseminated to a wide range of target groups. Good results is not of much value, if nobody outside the partnership circle know about it and to some degree find inspiration and benefits from it.

Therefore, the planned dissemination is an important point in the funder’s assessment of the application, and the quality of the delivered dissemination by a granted project is an important point in the funder’s assessment of the reported project activities.

As with the other parts of the project plan, it is important that we in fact do, what we said we would do - that we in fact deliver the dissemination activities as presented in the approved application. Therefore we as a shared responsibility must provide the main dissemination activities as described in the application, which included during the first project year:

  1. Prepare a wide scale mailing list for national target groups, by all partners and a list of target groups from other Baltic Sea countries and transnational associations by some partners.
  2. At least two news-mails to main target groups, by all partners
  3. A project website with in-depth information about the project and possibility to download the main documents
  4. Leaflets, flyers, etc presenting the project in English and in all partner languages, which can be attached to news-mails and uploaded to websites.
  5. Promotion at the websites of the partner associations with links to the project website, by all partners.
  6. Presentations at relevant meetings, seminars, conferences in own organisations and other events as well as promotion by personal contacts to key stakeholders, by all partners.
  7. Ongoing promotion at social media sites, such as face book etc, by all partners.
  8. Publish at least 1-2 articles and/or interviews in own journals or other magazines and media.
  9. Wide virtual distribution of the multilateral Baseline Survey with press-releases in own languages for targets in own countries by all partners and in English for other countries by some partners.

7b) Presentation of dissemination activities until now

FAIE (PL)

distributed before the partner meeting a short dissemination report. The main activity has been

  1. promotion at the FAIE website of the project with links to the project website -
  2. promotion at the FAIE face book site -
  3. promotion at events, such as
  4. An NGOs representatives meeting: VIIth meeting of the Europa Cafe group, Warsaw, 21-22 of April 2016
  5. Case study for workshops, "How to plan, develop and realise international projects", Bielsko-Biała, 11-13 of May 2016
  6. The 19th Exposition of Folk Artists and Crafts of the Polish-Czech Borderland, Prudnik, 03-05 of June 2016, which included competitions and interviews with potential local partners.

United Way (BY) has

  1. made a contact list for a network of main target groups in Belarus and in the Baltic Sea region.
  2. had meetings with possible upstarts-groups
  3. prepared press-releases to local journalist

LPDA (LT) has

  1. mentioned the project in their news-letter, which is distributed every Friday to the members and others.
  2. mentioned the project at the website of the organisation
  3. to a high degree involved the network of their organisations in the project
  4. informed the sister association in Estonia about the project
  5. contacted the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, where the representative expressed very positive interest for the LEVER project.

FSU (FI) has

  1. mentioned the project at 3-4 events in the FSU-network
  2. mentioned it at the FSU face book

However, the start of a more elaborated dissemination will await we have more to present, such as the baseline survey, the establishment of local pilot teams, the public project website, etc.

KSD (DK) has

  1. prepared the common project leaf-let in English
  2. mentioned the project in 2 news-mails
  3. mentioned it at KSD’s face book site
  4. promoted it at meetings in KSD
  5. promoted it at meetings with local network that will be responsible for the local pilot work

Interfolk (DK) has

  1. mentioned it in 1 Danish news-mail to Danish target groups and in 1 English news-mail to Nordic-Baltic target groups.
  2. promoted it at one Danish event and at one transnational project event.
  3. prepared the project website for official publications just after the second partner meeting.

7c) The project website

At the first meeting, 15 – 16 Feb 2016 in Copenhagen decided that KSD could transfer the task of making and updating the website to Interfolk. With some delays, Hans the 31 May 2016 could inform the partners that the draft website was ready for comments and critic.

The website uses one.com as web hotel and its premade templates and design tools. It includes a quite easy and flexible design possibility both of the menu structure and layout, including its automatic adaption to the mobile version.

Hans mentioned that as far as he understood, the main role of the project website was to give the needed background information and possibility for downloads. Typical, we will use the project website as a reference for our own dissemination activities and pr-materials. In general:

  • People will only visit the website, if the partners refer to the project website in their news-mails, face book sites, own websites and other pr-materials and here present a link.
  • Furthermore, thereby the partners don’t need to make a lot of presentation text at their own website etc, because interested people can find the more elaborated and detailed information about the project at the project website.
  • Here the most important may be that the project website gives a good impression. It must be nice to look at and easy to navigate around in to find the extra information.

Overall, the partners were satisfied with the website. Alicia proposed to have a site with links to important stakeholders and networks for the project as well as an indexed search function. Hans will explore if it can be made in a simple form.