Heritage as a powerful tool influencing the future of the youth? Yes, that’s our plan. Engaged in cultural mediation within their communities, youth can become local leaders. This will develop their entrepreneurship skills transferable directly to the labour market.
Before that happens, it is crucial to take the first step – empower youth. Support them in becoming cultural ambassadors in their communities and equipping them with mediation skills. And this is our role.
Mediate your future
We tailored the project to strengthen youth. They create a diverse group, which is a great value. However, we must also remember that diversity means also different backgrounds, fewer possibilities and specific learning disorders (SLDs). These features are often forgotten and not taken under consideration when designing training courses neither in formal nor informal education. This is why our goal is to make all project activities and content accessible to youth facing these challenges.
European heritage for the future
Tangible and intangible. Local and international. Created by humans and by the forces of nature. Our European heritage has different faces and sources. This gives us a wide range of means and possibilities for using it as an interdisciplinary tool in the service of youth future. We can combine natural sciences, history, mathematics, digital culture and others in one powerful tool of cultural mediation. European heritage presented to the youth in such a way offers them a more holistic and inclusive approach. An approach that inspires.
First steps into the future
Among the key competencies of the future, we can list critical thinking, communication and intercultural understanding. “Mediate your future!” is to help youth to develop those skills. Once acquired, they will stay with the participants for a long time. The participants will also gain competencies in project management and heritage promotion across multiple disciplines (history, arts, digital culture, etc.). All of them are applicable across various professional fields, like education, tourism, and cultural management. Moreover, by teaching participants to connect cultural heritage with entrepreneurial ventures, we will demonstrate how cultural mediation can be transformed into income-generating initiatives. This will enhance youth employability, civic engagement, and social cohesion.
“Mediate your future!” is a two-year project. However, its results will resonate much longer in… the future.