Deadline: 2 March 2025
The Mekong Cultural Hub is inviting applications for its Local Gatherings Program to expand the community of people engaged with the Meeting Point platform, and to give practitioners micro-grants to organise events in their local communities.
A Local Gathering can be an activity such as a talk, workshop, seminar or creative action which engages people in connection and exchange in relation to the theme of the 2025 Meeting Point, Building Bridges. It can be a short event (e.g. half a day) or happen over 2-3 days. It can be for a big group or a small group, depending on the topics you want to engage on and the format of your gathering.
Theme
- “Building Bridges: Art & Social Action in Asia”
Benefits
- By participating in this program Hosts will benefit from:
- Growing your networks in Asia by meeting and exchanging with the other Hosts
- Getting new insights into local contexts across Asia through exchanging with the other Hosts
- Personal and professional development through peer exchange at the monthly workshops, as well as implementing your event
- Being supported to attend the in-person Meeting Point program in Vientiane, with all logistics and costs supported by MCH from 14th to 19th October 2025 (including travelling date of 14th and 19th)
Funding Information
- MCH has three options of micro-grant available, which are based on the scale and style of gathering you plan to host. They have called these:
- Coffee Style ($500 USD budget)
- Workshop Style ($1,000 USD budget)
- Conference Style ($1,500 USD budget)
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for this program, you must be:
- A citizen of Asia
- Organizing a gathering that will be in person, in Asia, clearly connected to the theme Building Bridges: A Meeting Point on Art & Social Action in Asia
- Willing to organize your gathering between Friday 26th September to Sunday 5th October 2025
- You do not have to give them an exact date of your gathering when you apply but you do have to commit that you will organize it within this date range
- Demonstrate openness to sharing your practice and experience of hosting your gathering, both during the preparation process and after the event, in order to enrich dialogues and connections between cultural practitioners in Asia
- Able to commit to all key program dates, particularly the monthly online exchanges and the travel dates for the workshop and the Meeting Point in Vientiane
- They welcome applications both from people who have hosted Local Gatherings previously, as well as first time applicants.
- Local Gathering Hosts could be from various professional profiles including but not limited to producers, managers, artists, and community organisers.
Selection Criteria
- The criteria that they will use to select participants for this program include:
- Adherence to the eligibility criteria
- Evidence of interest and enthusiasm to take part, including commitment to sharing and learning with fellow Hosts
- Having a diverse range of experiences and perspectives among the group (considering factors such as countries, artistic disciplines, professional practice, years of experience)
- Potential for connection and collaboration between clusters of hosts, e.g. common interests and concerns, or shared challenges
Application Requirements
- In general, MCH’s attitude is that the format and duration of your gathering is flexible according to your concept and the local context. However, there are few key requirements that they ask you to fulfill:
- Your gathering should relate to the 2025 Meeting Point theme “Building Bridges: Art & Social Action in Asia”
- You can interpret this in a way that is relevant to your local context and the community you will engage through your gathering
- It should be an in-person event
- Therefore, would expect the event to target a community in your local area (or a community with easy access to a common meeting place)
- It must take place between Friday 26th September to Sunday 5th October 2025
For more information, visit Mekong Cultural Hub.
