About the project

Youth active citizenship and entrepreneurship are crucial for the society of tomorrow. But they are also of great importance to the youth themselves and the communities they live in. Unfortunately, as highlighted by Eurydice and Eurobarometer, although young people care about social issues (like inequality or climate change), they feel disconnected from formal democratic structures.

Cultural mediation led by youth can change that passive attitude. An interdisciplinary approach to heritage, combining history, natural sciences, literature, and other disciplines, will help youth find their own way of engaging as local leaders. Our project will also demonstrate how cultural mediation can bridge divides in modern society (social and political tensions, misinformation, etc.).

Engaging youth in cultural mediation has one more objective. It will develop their critical thinking, project management, communication and problem-solving skills. All of them are crucial in today’s world and indispensable in the labour market. By developing them, youth will boost their employability especially, as there are high youth NEET (non-in employment, education or training) rates – between 10.1% and 18% – in all of the participating countries.

The project will produce a whole package of resources, including booklets and manuals containing case studies and best practices to inspire youth, practical guidelines and project planning templates, interdisciplinary mediation models and a Europass-certified course. We will also create a manual for youth workers to facilitate cultural mediation projects. 

Our special focus will be on inclusivity and accessibility of all project outcomes. We can’t forget that among youth, there are people with special learning disorders (SLDs), disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds. It might make their presence in the labour market even more difficult. That is why, while creating the tools, we will pay special attention to making them as accessible as possible.

Youth and youth learners across Europe will test “Mediate your future!” outcomes to ensure their quality, effectiveness and relevance. We will use the results of these tests to refine the resources, ensuring that they meet the educational needs of our stakeholders.

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