<< Objectives >>The general objective of the project is to expand the availability of European cultural heritage to children and to engage them in pro-environmental behaviour and environment friendly way of living. The objective will be reached by developing guidelines and providing training in cultural heritage and environment education in an integrated way and by exploring the outdoor classroom approach.<< Implementation >>The project includes interconnected local and international activities. Project partners will develop and test Green Heritage Schools guidelines with good practices and workshop scenarios and organise two joint international events - Green Heritage Schools in Greece and in Italy.<< Results >>The project will achieve the following results:-Green Heritage Schools guidelines produced - 1-Good practices collected and exchanged - 3-Workshop scenarios produced and tested - 5-International Green Heritage Schools organised - 2-Educators involved in the local and international activities - at least 9-Children involved in the local and international activities - at least 45

In this project 3 NGOs from Latvia, Greece and Poland representing north, east and south of the Europe joined forces to improve youth work in business education for rural youth. The project included short-term training for youth workers and experts to exchange best practices, share methods and ideas to promote creative start-ups in rural areas, as well as local and international training for youth in order to test approaches developed during the project. The project lasted 12 months and included 2 transnational project meetings, 2 short term staff trainings and 1 blended mobility for youth. 20 youth workers increased their knowledge and skills during the staff training, 45 youngsters participated in the local training and 15 youngsters from Latvia, Poland and Greece took part in the blended mobility for youth in Greece, including 13 young people from regions facing socioeconomic obstacles. The mobility of youth included a set of workshops and mentoring that allowed youngsters to shape and develop their innovative business ideas based on the local intangible heritage and the use of ICT. The best practise collection and workshop scenarios were published in the partner web sites, EPALE and the Erasmus+ platform for dissemination and exploitation of project results. At least 250 people not directly involved in the project benefited from the project - youth organisations, rural NGOs, education and training institutions, as well as other persons interested in the topic. The development of training methods on creative start-ups will encourage youth to start their own business in rural areas thus improving rural job creation, decreasing the youth unemployment and preserving the main features of living and working in rural areas. Moreover, the transnational approach of the project will lead to a deeper mutual understanding and cooperation in Europe.

According to the most recent Eurostat data on the topic (2018), millions of Europeans are still on the side-lines, both from the labour market and from social inclusion and integration. In particular, in the EU, only 11.1 % of adults participate in lifelong learning opportunities, thus resulting not up to the height of the current labour market demands or not able to up-skill and give themselves another professional chance. Starting from this assumption, OPEN CITY aims to make learning and capacity building opportunities available to fragile and disadvantaged groups in the project countries (Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Latvia), supporting the promotion and implementation of innovative and creative elements linked to creativity and self-expression into learning paths for unemployed people - to which formal academic opportunities are often precluded.In particular, OPEN CITY, wants to re-establish interactions and cooperation between adult unemployed (with previous work experience in social field, or looking for job opportunities in social field), local artists and social innovators, putting values and commons back to the center of human interactions between neighbours. It will do so by enhancing values, skills and social cohesion potential of specific street in disadvantaged districts of selected European cities leveraging upon art expressions and collaborative practices between citizens. In parallel, citizens will also be empowered in terms of artistic attitude, social activism and communication skills and competences, thus improving their employability. In this way, OPEN CITY will build a collective trust between inhabitants; empower them to acquire social and civic competences; and support the creation of sustainable welfare systems on micro-scales - i.e. a block of flats, a street, a specific area of a selected neighbourhood.The main participants in the project will be 100 adult unemployed over 30 years old (20 per each target city), who will be involved in a capacity-building programme aimed to increase their knowledge and skills for an enhanced participation in society and employability, via artistic and social-related activities, that respond to the needs and necessities of their territory. They will be supported by a heterogeneous network of: local artists, social innovators/entrepreneurs, project partners, local authorities.The project will produce the following activities and results: - 5 new city maps, based on local districts needs’ assessments, obtained through a data collection process mixing field visits, interviews and the organisation of 10 participatory workshops - A Capacity Building program involving at least 100 adult unemployed aged over 30 years old (20 per country) as trainees, and also including two International Academies- Specific pilot activities in all target cities. These will be socially engaged and creative art interventions which take the shape of site-specific services , which will blend together unoccupied but possibly aggregative spaces, with activities and professions that have the potential to bring people together and engage them socially. - A Project Toolkit summing up the most important OPEN CITY outputs and activities.- OPEN CITY Digital Platform, joining together different materials and functions and ready to be used by other adult education providers for replicating the project’s methodology and actions. OPEN CITY designs a school where ‘students’ work together with communities, using physical spaces that are considered inaccessible for public re-creative purposes. OPEN CITY believes in re-creative use and transformation of citizens’ skills and physical spaces. This is for us a bridge between creativity and society, by strengthening the interaction between the cultural heritage sector and other sectors.The main impact OPEN CITY wants to achieve is to give second chances to unemployed people, accompanying them to gain and express those skills which are necessary to fulfill the needs of the territory they reside in. The project asserts that exchange of knowledge and experience are mutual via creative interventions and socially innovative service - and will demonstrate that people from difficult backgrounds are well capable of bringing an added value to the society, if well guided. Its overall outcome, thus, is intended as a concrete result with multiple positive side-effects for the territory to be acquainted in the short, medium and long term (see next section for indicators).In the longer term, OPEN CITY foresees the creation and spread of a dedicated label among those realities that are touched by the project and its inspiring activities. As such, the label will put in touch communities which are geographically far from each other, but connected by the strong linkage of common experiences and shared values - above all, the necessity of integrative policies for marginalised people and power of alternative inclusive measures to this extent.

During the Covid-19 extensive lock downs in most European countries, project partners observed how the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid dealt with the health and financial strains. The museum swiftly adapted the new exhibition “Rembrandt and Amsterdam portraiture, 1590-1670” to a digital format. A curator led audio guide accompanies the virtual museum visit to create an immersive experience with added value. The museum has noted a 56% increase in online visits, between 13 March -13 April 2020, compared to the same period in 2019 (Network of European Museums Association, June 2020).However, among the over 20.000 museums in Europe, very few have the necessary digital skills to create a virtual tour or an e-shop that could sustain them in periods of crises, health or otherwise and accelerate their development in times of growth.The “Open museums” project aims at creating a Competence Guide that will include good practices about the necessary competences in order to be able to create a virtual tour, to maintain the museum’s social media and to create a functional own e-shop that will secure incoming funds, no matter if the museum is open or closed due to unforeseen circumstances. It also aims at creating an open and well disseminated and self-paced e-learning Course that will enable museum staff to learn through practical, all inclusive modules, real life scenarios and exercises how to create a successful virtual tour, how to create an e-shop to secure funds and how to maintain effective social media for their institution.Incorporated in the methodology and the processes of the project is the transnational European identity and cooperation since intercultural teams will be included in the training programme, the multiplier events and the three-day learning activity. Furthermore, the project is designed to bring together different sectors and transversal work teams since partners are training and consulting organisations, museums and Information Technology companies. The multicultural, interdisciplinary consortium ensures diversity and inclusion in the production of outputs, better understanding of local and national needs, dissemination and potential for the development of future projects.The primary target group of the project is museums’ staff, a professional category that traditionally has undergone cultural or humanitarian studies and is lacking any formal or non formal training in digital skills. However, in the new cultural reality, the existence of digital skills is imperative for a long and productive career and, in the museum sector, is not offered as on-the-job training or non-formal training. It’s noteworthy that more than 9 million people are employed in the cultural sector in Europe and have been particularly affected by the current health crisis. The impact of the project will be immense and measurable in the following results:-Up skilling of museums’ staff in digital skills and competences which is a very important factor since 25% of museum staff is facing the scope of potential unemployment due to the Covid-19 crisis**.- Development of strategic skills of museum staff in the creation of content, their knowledge developed and enriched in order to provide a better educational and impactful experience to visitors.-Indirect support of medium and small museums to remain open and to safeguard the local, national and European Cultural Heritage.-Better accessibility (through virtual means) of visitors in remote areas and visitors facing difficulties to museums and the European Cultural Heritage they represent, the creativity and comfort provided by Art. - Creation of added value in the experience of museum visitors through the development of additional digital tools that can bring them closer to artists and artifacts.- Impact on partner organisations through improvement of their knowledge, skills and competences in training and management, in-depth knowledge of the museum sector, better cooperation with partners from diverse sectors, networking for creativity for future projects. *, **Source: NEMO () survey on the impact of the COVID-19 situation on museums in Europe.

"<< Background >>Whilst cultural heritage has been defined as something inherited from the past, it is in many ways a contemporary and “living” cultural resource in Europe. Supporting and mobilising local actors facilitating society integration and social inclusion through the accessibility of cultural heritage will lead to an inclusive growth with a well-functioning democratic, inclusive society based on solidarity and equal access to culture and related services. Both the preservation and valorisation of cultural heritage open up considerable opportunities for local and regional development. Culture is a key driver of creativity, which plays a significant role in establishing an innovative economy.In European Union, only 10.8 % of adults (25-64 year old) participated in lifelong learning in 2019 (Greece 3.9%, Poland 4.8%, Latvia 7.4%, Italy 8.1%, Germany 8.2%, Portugal 10.5%). People with disadvantaged backgrounds have lower access to training and cultural activities, as it requires financial resources, information about the opportunities and many times also encouragement to participate. At the same time, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey, 8 out of 10 Europeans believe that cultural heritage is important, not only to them personally, but also to their community, region, country and the EU as a whole. A very large majority take pride in cultural heritage, whether it is located in their own region or country, or in another European country.Our organisations have solid experience in providing cultural and educational activities. Moreover, our organisations are focusing on the inclusion of people with disadvantaged backgrounds: people from declining rural areas, migrants and national minorities, elderly, among others. So far our activities have been implemented mainly in person, but in the last 2 years we have been working on the project idea of an online training programme focused on European intangible cultural heritage. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that our direction towards online training has been correct and more high-quality online training opportunities should be available in culture and arts.<< Objectives >>The project offers new high-quality learning opportunities and skills development for adults through creativity and arts by utilising the social and educational value of the European cultural heritage, facilitating intergenerational learning and encouraging new businesses based on cultural heritage. The project will create a training programme ""European Cultural Heritage"" and an interactive online learning platform (including an educational online game), which will exploit the European cultural heritage as a tool for creating new businesses, promoting society integration and social inclusion and combating disadvantages.The general objectives of the project are:1. To increase the accessibility of training in culture and arts;2. To raise the opportunities to explore European intangible cultural heritage by using digital means;3. To promote social inclusion of people with disadvantaged background through culture and arts;4. To encourage intergenerational learning and transfer of traditional skills;5. To motivate and empower people to start businesses based on intangible cultural heritage.<< Implementation >>During the project, two project results will be produced. The ECHO Training programme ""European Cultural Heritage"" will include a collection of workshops presenting the cultural heritage of each local area involved in the project and providing an opportunity to explore European cultural heritage for everyone, an online guide for starting entrepreneurship (including social entrepreneurship) based in cultural heritage and an interactive educational online game based on the training programme. The ECHO On-line learning platform will provide a learning space to be used by any organisation or individual all over Europe and ensure the sustainability of the project. The on-line platform will include the Training programme produced in the project (guide, workshop scenarios) and additional on-line learning resources, such as webinars, discussion forums and an interactive educational online game to facilitate continuing learning, keep the interest of the users and engage them in learning activities. The project results will be available in English, Polish, Greek, Italian, German, Portuguese and Latvian.The ECHO Training programme ""European Cultural Heritage"" will include local and international training and cover at least 56 hours (conceived as online and offline workshops and assignments). It will be delivered in each target country, in a time-span of 12 months. In total at least 90 unique persons will attend the online and offline training. The training programme will include at least 3 local workshops (online or offline) in each country. Additionally, a joint online course will be implemented by the partnership introducing each local areas cultural heritage (festivals, foods and handicrafts) to participants from other European countries. At the end of the course a special session will be devoted to starting a business (including social entrepreneurship) based on cultural heritage.In the final months of the project we will organise a short-term international training of learners in Portugal to jointly test the ECHO Training programme and On-line platform. Adult learners and trainers from all partner countries will take part in this testing. Additionally, we will organise an European cultural creativity competition, inspired by the ECHO Training programme. Having completed the work on the ECHO Training programme and On-line learning platform, we will organise local dissemination events in all partner countries/regions and final conference in Portugal.<< Results >>At least 15 adult trainers will increase their knowledge and skills during the project, 30 learners (people from disadvantaged backgrounds)will take part in the blended mobility and at least 90 participants (people from disadvantaged backgrounds) will take part in the piloting of the training programme. At least 205 people not directly involved in the project will benefit from the project in each country, participating in the dissemination events. The exchange of experience and the creation of an online platform will increase the accessibility of training, raise the opportunities to explore European cultural heritage, encourage intergenerational learning and transfer of traditional skills and motivate and empower people to start business based on cultural heritage. The transnational approach of the project will lead to a deeper mutual understanding and cooperation in Europe."