Strengthening Communities Through Culture: First Cultural Pearls Network Conference
The first Cultural Pearls Network Conference, taking place in Helsingborg from 3–5 March 2025, will bring together cities and stakeholders to exchange knowledge and develop practical methods for strengthening community resilience through culture.
Helsingborg, Sweden, will host the first Cultural Pearls Network Conference on 3–5 March 2025, bringing together the Cultural Pearl cities of 2024 and 2025 along with other stakeholders to enhance resilience through culture. This event also marks the first joint gathering of the BSR Cultural Pearls and RESCOM initiatives.
“City-to-city learning is at the heart of the conference, where we will be putting the good in good practice,” says Felix Schartner Giertta, the BSR Cultural Pearls project coordinator at the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS).
“By focusing on practical exchange and knowledge-sharing, participating cities will explore how cultural initiatives can strengthen communities and be adapted across different contexts, including in the Baltic Sea Region, Moldova, and Ukraine,” he adds.
Through the RESCOM project, the conference will extend beyond the Baltic Sea Region to welcome partners from Ukraine and Moldova. This expansion broadens the programme’s impact, fostering a wider exchange of experiences and best practices in cultural resilience.
The event’s theme, “From Case to Method”, highlights the focus on transforming successful examples from Cultural Pearl cities into adaptable frameworks that other cities can implement. Through learning labs, study visits, and roundtable discussions, participants will work collaboratively to refine and scale proven approaches.
As one of the Cultural Pearls 2025, Helsingborg will showcase its Culture and Resilience Action Plan through guided study visits, offering insights into how the city integrates culture into its resilience strategy. The conference will be held at key cultural venues, including Helsingborg’s Konserthuset, Stadsteater, and the historic Brandstationen Gåsebäck.
The BSR Cultural Pearls project aims to enhance social resilience in smaller Baltic Sea Region municipalities by leveraging local cultural and creative assets. The RESCOM project extends this initiative to Ukraine and Moldova, enabling collaboration and knowledge exchange to strengthen community resilience across these regions.