Developed by the British Council and Cultural Associates Oxford, and implemented in collaboration with Culture Unleashed in Türkiye, ‘Supporting the Creative Economy’ programme equips more than 500 professionals with innovative ideas and tools to bolster the cultural and creative industries in their respective regions and countries. Participants also had the opportunity to expand their professional networks both locally and internationally, focused on the United Kingdom.

This comprehensive learning programme covered a diverse array of topics, ranging from branding and digital transformation to entrepreneurship and cultural heritage. It aimed to share insights into the significant impact and role of the cultural and creative industries. By fostering new connections, developing policy solutions, and creating a common language, the programme seeked to cultivate a thriving creative ecosystem. Upon successful completion of the ‘Supporting the Creative Economy’ programme, participants received a certificate acknowledging their achievements.

Having successfully run for the past two years by the British Council, the ‘Supporting the Creative Economy’ programme is adapted for Türkiye, with a detailed analysis and literature review by Culture Unleashed. In adapting the programme, as Culture Unleashed, we undertook tasks such as content adaptation and translation, creation of a Türkiye-focused dictionary containing relevant terminology, planning live sessions addressing key topics with concrete examples, and growing a learning community around the programme.

We used different tools and resources to effectively engage programme participants throughout its duration. In addition to the energizers, ice breakers and meeting exercises we used in the live sessions; instant communication in the community and sub-channels we created on WhatsApp and content sharing such as resources, open calls and job postings ensured an interactive and enriching participant experience.