The objective was to learn about good practices in the chosen partner institutions on the themes selected, to experience weekend festivals and everyday operations, and to initiate a professional dialogue in the areas concerned. We also aimed to develop our professional language skills. We also made the workshops we had designed available to the museum staff in the form of internal training, so that more of the knowledge, perspectives, and good practices of external professionals could be shared. The participants also studied the thematic focus and the methodological approaches adopted. The possibility of processing and presenting historical and social traumas will continue to play a key role in the institutional, scientific, and knowledge transfer strategy, as the professional preparation of the Transylvanian Exhibition Unit continues. The role of the Hungarian Open Air Museum as a participatory museum is also a priority, and it was necessary to learn as many good practices as possible and adapt them in our own institution.
We applied for this project in order to increase our professional competence and expertise in the focal themes, the processing and museum representation of which makes Beamish the Living Museum of the North unique among the other Western European museums, which we succeeded in winning as a partner for the project. We also aimed to enable as many staff as possible to participate in a study tour, which is not possible within the basic museum operation. This provided an opportunity for colleagues from different departments to gain experience together. A study trip is a very effective way to gain knowledge, as it means intensive, focused professional interaction with both your colleagues and others abroad. It provides an opportunity for continuous (self-)reflection. And the professional workshops integrated as part of the grant scheme made the topics covered even more widely accessible, thus sensitizing colleagues who did not participate in the trip.