Funded by
Emilia-Romagna Region
Information
- Length: 2024 - 2025
- Lead Partner: Municipality of Cavriago (IT)
- Members Involved: Municipality of Mjölby (SE)
- Other Partners: Fronsadais Community of Communes (FR)
- Priority Area: #ActiveCitizenship #InclusiveCommunities
Quick Links
Contacts
- laura.avanzi@sern.eu
- +393488786110
Voices of Heritage
Citizens’ participation in identifying European cultural heritage
About the project
Cultural heritage is not only made up of artefacts (drawings, paintings, sculptures, monuments, buildings, archaeological sites…; )it consists of intangible elements as well: identity, memory, oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, events, traditional craftsmanship, knowledge and skills. Landscape and elements of the natural environment are also parts of cultural heritage.
The Voices of Heritage project starts off from the need to reframe cultural heritage as, at its core, a social construction resulting from the perceptions, values, sensitivities of local communities.
This crucial assumption stems from the Faro Convention and the European Landscape Convention and aims to emphasize the link between cultural heritage, identified and perceived by people, and the common democratic roots of Europe.
Objectives
The general objective of the project is Promote the participatory enhancement of cultural heritage at the local and transnational level, involving citizens and, in particular, the younger generations, in the identification, conservation and promotion of cultural heritage in order to contribute to the development of an open and resilient society in line with the goals of the 2030 Agenda.
The specific objectives are:
- Actively involve citizens with a focus on the younger generations in the identification and promotion of local cultural heritage. The objective of involving citizens, especially young people, is crucial to ensure that the enhancement of cultural heritage is inclusive and representative of the different sensitivities of the communities involved. This not only raises awareness but also promotes civic education and community responsibility.
- To encourage the exchange of experiences and cooperation between local authorities of different countries and to develop innovative and sustainable policies for the enhancement of cultural heritage. International cooperation between Italian, Swedish and French municipalities allows mutual enrichment through the sharing of experiences and good practices.
Activities
- October 2024: PROJECT LAUNCH WEBINAR – The launch webinar represents the first official moment of the project and aims to present the project to the representatives of the municipalities and interested citizens and explain its connection with the relevant international conventions, in particular the Faro Convention and the European Landscape Convention.
- December 2024 – TRAINING: This online workshop aims to provide detailed training on community engagement methods and the use of the digital platform developed for the project. The activity will be aimed at members of the participating organisations and local facilitators. The objective is to ensure all members understand how to participate effectively and can engage their local communities in the project.
- January – May 2025 – ENGAGEMENT AND CONTRIBUTION COLLECTION:
The objective is to involve citizens in identifying tangible and intangible cultural heritage, ensuring wide participation through:
Digital Engagement: Use the Heritage Pulse/Voices Of Heritage platform to facilitate contributions, employing social media campaigns and interactive online events to raise awareness and participation.
Youth Involvement: Engage schools or youth centers to involve younger generations, perhaps through projects competitions related cultural heritage.
Local Workshop: Organise a local event that engages citizens who participated in the collection and key stakeholders to raise awareness on the topic.
June 2025 – SEMINAR IN CAVRIAGO: Seminar for the collaborative analysis of contributions between young people and representatives of partner municipal organizations for the identification of patterns that emerged at local level and possible common transnational work paths (for follow-up activities).
