Heritage Hubs project
Related priority: Promoting a European way of life
Whose heritage is it anyway?
What do a Finnish bog, Roman ruins in Serbia, a Spanish monastery and the game of floorball have in common? They are all examples of European heritage, chosen by children and teenagers from 11 schools in three countries in the Creative Europe-supported Heritage Hubs project.
We can all have ideas about another country or culture that are based on stereotypes or partial information. So, when young people in the Heritage Hubs project got to see first-hand what pupils from other countries chose to showcase their culture, any prejudices they may have had soon fell away. They also felt a sense of pride in sharing aspects of their own culture – as well as discovering just how they were all united through a common European way of life, one of the core priorities of the European Commission.
Our heritage includes our national foods, games, music, and customs, as well as our treasures and monuments. Europe’s heritage also transcends present-day territorial boundaries, stretching back to disappeared empires and periods of shared history.
As the Heritage Hubs project demonstrated, when young people got actively involved in choosing the traditions, customs and monuments to showcase, heritage became something dynamic and fun.
The young participants also discovered new skills through making videos (link to Youtube) to record and pass on their heritage to others. By involving parents, grandparents and neighbours in their research, the teamwork turned out to be a way to bond across generations, too.
A deeper question also surfaced about the multi-ethnic, changing society of Europe today. When we talk about ‘our heritage’, whose heritage are we talking about? Various ethnic, linguistic, religious, or sexual minorities may have different views, all too often unrecognised or ignored by mainstream society.
The pupils noticed that cultural heritage is something common to humanity, even though it may seem different on the surface.
Ingelisa WikholmWinellska skolan, Kirkkonmmi, Finland
Insights from the Heritage Hubs project
Explore the links below to see some of the things young people learned on the project.
Students from Finland
Got to visit the beautiful ancient monasteries of Suso and Yuso in Spain on International Museum Day.
Young people on the move
Young people who have moved countries several times with their families need to make up their own stories of what is important to them.
Learning culture through sport
Sport can be as useful as a museum when getting to know another culture
First-hand experiences
It’s easier to understand another culture by experiencing it first-hand than by reading about it.