ESC: Intercultural mediator in the Platform of youth french-german creation

The Plateforme de la jeune création franco-allemande (Plattform), based in Lyon since its creation in 2007, is a non-profit association whose aim is to develop connections between young artists from France, Germany and, more generally, Europe. Due to its history, it has forged solid partnerships with Germany and France, but opens its projects to other countries. Its baseline, " Courses & Artistic Creations ", underlines the double vocation of the Plateforme, committed to professional training of excellence in the field of performing arts, as well as to multilingual artistic creation. The Plateforme supports the creation of European cultural projects, be it artistic creations, performances, debates or workshops. The association organizes about fifteen workshops per year, allowing nearly 200 young professional artists or artists in the process of professionalisation to benefit from the expertise of internationally recognized artists. The Plateforme projects take the form of intensive practical and theoretical trainings (6 to 10 day courses), held by recognized professionals from several countries. The training courses are innovative thanks to the large number of partner structures and the particular intercultural form: There is an workshop leader from each participating country (minimum 2 countries) and all the units of artistic practice are translated consecutively so that everyone can express themselves and have all the information in their mother tongue. In this way, the participants hear several languages, one after the other, and become familiar with the foreign language naturally. The workshops are also recognized thanks to the originality of the proposed contents, which build bridges between nationalities and between artistic disciplines within renowned artistic events in Lyon (Fête des Lumières, Biennales de Lyon, Festival Lumière, Magnifique Printemps), or in other French, German or European cities (Avignon festival, Theatertreffen festival in Berlin, Momix festival in Kingersheim, Mimos festival in Périgueux, PERSPECTIVES festival in Saarbrücken, ... ). The three areas of action of the association are as follows: A. Professionalization and professional integration of young people (artists, but not only) in an international context B. Access to Culture and Creation for all (regardless of language or income) C. An innovative artistic practice in its cooperations In partnership with various international structures and relays, the Plateforme takes care of the organisational, administrative and logistical part of these exchanges and training courses. It also manages the intercultural aspect and mediation, succeeding in setting up common creations between young Europeans who do not always speak the same language. Indeed, the training courses and exchanges organised give rise to the forging of links between young artists which lead to Franco-German or European artistic creations that the Plattform supports, accompanies and promotes.