The Europe Challenge
What is the Europe Challenge?
The Europe Challenge is a rolling one-year programme that brings together delegates from libraries and communities, starting with an open call in May of each year and finishing on Europe Day – 9 May – of the following year.
The programme involves a series of inspiring online and face-to-face opportunities including:
- learning exchanges with other libraries and communities across Europe
- one-to-one online coaching in community engagement, collaborative design and innovation
- a set of downloadable tools
- funding opportunities to explore prototypes and solve challenges
Each library and community group focuses on a local concern, which is often a common concern shared by many other groups across Europe.
Seven libraries from Latvia to Spain took part in the pilot programme from May 2021 to May 2022 – working on a range of innovative solutions including installing urban beehives at libraries to champion biodiversity and tapping into virtual reality to tackle digital exclusion.
The 2022 edition, launched in May 2022, includes 32 libraries and communities from 14 countries and 29 different locations – from the Outer Hebrides in Scotland to one of the most easterly islands in Greece – representing schools, prisons, universities, volunteer libraries and special issue libraries.
Their prototypes and ideas will be presented in May 2023 – when we’ll also be launching a new open call for 2023. Look out for more details coming soon.
“We have learned valuable lessons about how libraries can engage and work together with vulnerable and socially marginalised communities. Such lessons could be useful for other libraries across Europe.”
Aarhus library, Denmark
