ORGANIZATION –> Lithuanian Council for culture

APPLY (E-Mail) –> marija.peciulymailto:marija.peciulyte@ltkt.ltte@ltkt.lt

Start Date –> Anytime

Duration –> 6 weeks (6 weeks face-to-face)

Between 2020 and 2022, Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has turned the cultural life upside down: for the first time, a vast number of cultural institutions, including libraries, theatres, and concert venues, were indefinitely closed to the public; companies restricted their operations, and citizens had to find novel ways to participate in creative and cultural activities. Simultaneously, new sorts of cultural products and services started popping up, especially, digitalization, which has changed the cultural and creative playing field. Lithuania, in this context, is not different. However, Lithuania’s political and economic decisions, enacted during the pandemic, led to cultural developments different from those of the other European countries. But how different exactly?

Lithuanian Council for culture, one of the main national bodies entrusted with funding the community’s cultural initiatives and research of the Lithuanian cultural policy, investigates how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the state’s cultural landscape. Using qualitative (focus group interview) and quantitative (organization survey, economic analysis) research methods, it seeks to answer these questions:

• – how creative and cultural organizations and creators have adapted to the pandemic?
• – what new initiatives rose, and could they become the new normal in how we create and enjoy culture?
• – what was the effect of the government’s financial and non-financial interventions in mitigating the negative economic and social consequences of the pandemic in the cultural sphere?

Individuals, who are currently last year university students or have recently graduated in either the Social Research, Economics, or other social science programs, and who have an interest in the public or cultural policy are invited to participate in this research project as interns.

**Key goals of the internship:**

– To acquaint students with Lithuania’s cultural policy
– To give information on how the pandemic influenced Lithuania’s cultural and creative spheres.
– To provide the ground for students to apply their theoretical knowledge in real-life, especially in social and economic research.

**Responsibilities:**

• – Read and get acquainted with the Lithuanian cultural policy
• – Participate in designing the qualitative research methodology for the focus group interviews
• – Help organize and coordinate the interviews
• – Help to process the interview data (transcription and communication with the interview participants applies to Lithuanian speakers only)
• – Provide other insights during the stages of economic analysis and focus group interviews

**Requirements:**

• – Last year university Bachelor student or recently graduated university Bachelor in one or more of these fields: social sciences (Sociology, Economics, Psychology and similar) or applied Mathematics, particularly, Statistics or Data analysis.
• – Lithuanian or English language, at least B2 level in writing, reading, and speaking

**Additional benefits:**

• – Flexible working hours (ability to choose from 5 to 8 hours per day or according to an agreement)
• – Possible semi-remote work arrangements (while staying in Vilnius)
• – Work in the Vilnius Old Town office (Naugarduko g. 10, Vilnius)
• – Work with R (programming language) basics provided by the specialists