Analysis: Social Mobilisation in Denmark’s Cultural Centres
Challenge
Cultural centres play a central role as local meeting places and platforms for community building, but their social value is often underexplored and difficult to document.
There was a lack of a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base on how cultural centres concretely create participation, wellbeing, and community - and which methods are most effective in practice.
At the same time, there was a need to strengthen understanding among decision-makers, foundations, and partners of the role cultural centres play as social infrastructure.
Solution
BARC carried out a nationwide research and documentation project in collaboration with SocialRespons, focusing on social mobilisation in Danish cultural centres.
The analysis was based on qualitative interviews with managers, employees, and users from 13 cultural centres, mapping the most effective strategies and mechanisms across different practices.
The work included:
Qualitative analysis of the role of cultural centres as social and cultural infrastructure in local communities
Mapping user journeys from participation to active co-creation
Identifying key strategies for social mobilisation across cases
Documenting value creation for both individuals and society
The analysis demonstrated, among other things, how cultural centres function as open and low-threshold communities where citizens can move from passive participation to active engagement and co-creation.
At the same time, the role of cultural centres as social infrastructure was clearly highlighted - with the potential to create wellbeing, networks, and new opportunities for action among citizens.
The study was supported and funded by the Lauritzen Foundation. You can read the report here:
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