Small Centers of the World

Small Centres of the World is the program which responds to the needs and challenges of contemporary culture and education.
The problem is the anachronism of culture, limiting its activities to the narrow field of entertainment and festival events.
The problem is culture deepening divisions and narrowing the understanding of identity to sharp national or religious boundaries, thus becoming a base for fundamentalist ideologies.
The problem is the escapism of culture and its exclusive specialization, resulting in a lack of engagement with the public and demanding multidisciplinary cooperation.

As a result, in anti-crisis, development and revitalization programs, implemented both locally and internationally, culture is most often overlooked or marginalized. Also, in the European integration process, culture plays too small a role, and to make matters worse, often a negative one. The project proposes a self-critical approach to this problem, focusing not on pretensions and expectations from the outside (politicians, business, the media, etc.), but on internal and constructive proposals for changes in the environment of cultural people and their workshop of work.

In 2026, The Borderlands Foundation, with the support of the Edukacyjna Fundacja im. Romana Czerneckiego (EFC), launched the Small Centers of the World Scholarship. This program forms the core of the project by addressing the most critical needs identified during the initial phase: the need for time and stability. Within the framework of "Small Centers of the World," the scholarship is viewed not as an award or task-based funding, but as a form of trust, recognizing that social change stems from slow, often invisible processes deeply connected to the local rhythm of life. Individual financial support allows participants to remain in their communities, deepen local connections, and develop initiatives born out of real needs rather than the rigid logic of competitive grant frameworks.

The program also provides mentorship and accompaniment designed to strengthen personal responsibility rather than enforce external control. Ultimately, this initiative aims to drive impactful results, including the successful implementation of local social and educational projects, alongside the institutional strengthening of partner organizations.