MUSEUM DIRECTORS FROM WESTERN BALKAN MEET IN SWEDEN 2nd - 5th OF OCTOBER 2007

CHwB has with the support of Sida started the “Western Balkan Museum Programme”. The goal is to develop the capacity among the staff as well as at the museums as institutions. A series of seminars that have been aimed at the directors, as well as at the staff have been carried out, and a network for co-operation has been established.

Interactive, open and constructive discussions characterised the meetings when 18 museum directors from the Western Balkans met as part of the CHwB supported programme for capacity development and reconciliation. The museum directors from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are taking part in the meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to lay the foundation for future co-operation and to open up the museums for the broader public. This is part of the work to create democratic platforms for peace and reconciliation.

This was the third workshop on creative leadership for this group. Nine female museum directors who constitute a female network had their meetings, internal as well as with Swedish female museum directors and two representatives of the management of the Center for Gender Research at Uppsala University - Margaretha Fahlgren and Birgitta Wistrand. One of the conclusions from the female network was to start mentor programmes to support and facilitate the career development of younger women in the museums in the Western Balkans, another one was to write articles on female leadership. The women from the Western Balkans were all eager to continue the now established network and keep up the sharing of experiences and support each other, but also to make use of other ways of networking which would strengthen them as female directors and managers.

Thereafter, the whole group of female and male directors spent two days in a workshop on strategic museum planning lead by ass. Professor Peter Tirrell from Oklahoma University, USA. The days were full of lectures, exercises and how to develop practical tools in strategic planning and creative & democratic leadership.

Finally, the directors evaluated the series of workshops. Some of the most frequent opinions were that the capacity of the directors had increased through exchange of ideas and experiences from the other directors, as well as through the systematic approach to common but basic problems and possible ways of solving these. They had become more creative and open in their work and inspired to increase training of their staff. Specific for the female directors were that they had become clearer in their roles and gained self-confidence. One of the directors concluded "I do not feel like a weak woman in a male position any more" and several of the other directors agreed with her.