Wanted: 2,500 Amsterdammers who want to be surprised by fresh-faced twenty-somethings

450,000 euros they need to raise, the 15 culturally optimistic signposts of Public. All but a few were born well past 1980, so they don't suffer from any baby boomer arrogance or generational nit-picking: these are real, young, happy Amsterdammers.

The folks at Public have a lot of Amsterdam art institutions and 1 literary magazine prepared to make the latest cultural crowdfunding campaign a success. And, of course, we hope it succeeds. Because the sector needs good news. Because good news sells tickets. And that hasn't always been going well lately, it turns out.

Public is going to give its 2,500 culturally-minded subscribers tips, with which they can be surprised. For 15 euros a month, you get discounts or even free tickets to 30 concerts, exhibitions, lectures, theatre performances or events in that month. Whether as a subscriber you also get to take all 30 surprises in that month, the site does not tell. Probably because it thinks there are not that many people who want to be surprised by something cultural 360 times a year.

Given the age of the signposts, they are looking for those people among the target groups who are currently not so enthusiastic about theatre, classical concerts or debates on Heidegger: the twenty-somethings and just-thirtysomethings from the capital, who want to let loose culturally just before starting a family. After all, once that family is founded, as a cultural institution you have to wait again until the children are big enough to take care of themselves. Then the now exhausted but also culturally starved parents will once again have time and money left over for an evening out, including food, drinks and a public transport pass. The money for the babysitter can be put back into fun things.

That whole group of 30- to 45-year-olds is therefore conspicuous by its absence in the attendance figures. That's not going to get Public off the couch either. There, we mainly have to rely on online book clubs like Goodreads.com. But that is also quite fun, we know from experience.

We have a question: could this initiative work outside Amsterdam? Spout your ideas in the comments.