Cultural Relations Opportunity: A Few Weeks Left to Apply to TN2020

Andrew Kneale just Tweeted that the British Council's Transatlantic 2020 Initiative (known as TN2020) is accepting applications for only another three weeks. TN2020 a great opportunity for anyone with an interest in cultural relations or cultural diplomacy, not the least of which is an opportunity to be affiliated with the world's premiere cultural relations organization. From the website:

TN2020 builds innovative collaborations between young North Americans and Europeans to address challenges that will define their generation. Designed to run until 2020, we are creating an expanding network of emerging leaders (25-35 yrs.) from the fields of business, arts, civil society, media, science and politics, and encouraging and empowering them to develop solutions to global issues. These young people from Europe and North America are working to revitalise links and build new connections for the future

TN2020 seeks to target outstanding early-career professionals who are shaping, or who have the potential to shape society in the coming decades. It is the goal of the network to bring together people from a wide range of educational, ethnic, religious, political and professional backgrounds. It is essential to do this in order to have challenging discussions, real learning from others' views and international outlooks, and ultimately - the cross fertilisation of ideas which lead to action in at least one of three focus areas - sustainable living; building resilience in communities; creativity and innovation.

Rita J. King was one of several essayists including Michael Ignatieff, Irshad Manji, and Marietje Schaake who were commissioned by the British Council in 2007 to help launch the TN2020 Initiative. Rita's essay "The Emergence of a New Global Culture in the Imagination Age" also launched The Imagination Age. DIP just returned from a week with the British Council including meetings with TN2020's innovative program director Jacqui Allan who has some fascinating cultural relations projects in store for 2010.