The Laboratory Change Project is our answer to the question of about practical implications of the knowledge which we have gained during the inquiry carried out under the “Zoom in on the cultural centers.”

Laboratory of Change is in part a cultural animation project. It helps cultural centers reflect on their mission, examine the needs of local community and discover new ideas. On the other hand, it is
a research project. It describes the experience we have gathered while working with local cultural centers; identifies problems and obstacles encountered by them on their way to changes; recommends how to help solve these problems. We concluded that the most effective way to carry out such a venture is the so called participatory action research. Participatory action research is an examination in which all parties (employees of the cultural centers, community leaders, animateurs and sociologists) are the active co-creators of the research. Participating individuals are not regarded simply as a the subjects of the study but are also responsible for the conduct and results of the research.

In 2009, the Laboratory of Change worked with the teams of two cultural centers in Mazowsze. In 2011 we invited three more institutions to the project. This time we are encouraging the cultural centers primarily to take on participatory development of their strategies.