Back to search

Promoting Cultural Tourism by Youth Civic Participation

2021-2-ES02-KA153-YOU-0000397552021Mobility of youth workersongoingGood practice
Countries: ES|LV|SI|RS|LU|HU · Grant: €20,630
Cultural heritageYouth policy developmentDevelopment of training courses

Objectives

The community of La Vera (Extremadura, Spain) has a large sector of youth trainers involved in improving the individual and social conditions of many young people who lack equal opportunities to opt for decent work and comprehensive social inclusion. The Youth area of the Vera City Council, through its services and programs, tries to respond to the needs, concerns and problems of the youth community. Some of the functions carried out are: Managing the Youth Card, organizing activities and courses, gathering information, informing about aid and subsidies for young people, advising on youth associations, ... and making it available to young people from Vera. The activities carried out by the network have as main objectives: to promote the conservation and dissemination of the European Renaissance Cultural Heritage, to promote joint management, to recover its social value, to promote cultural and educational exchanges, to pay special attention to contacts between young people from different regions and countries, working decisively on the creation of sustainable tourism products dedicated to improving the quality of life of citizens, the creation of jobs, the seasonality of tourism, the creation of employment opportunities and the work against depopulation, and the creation of a quality tourism and cultural offer, as well as in favour of understanding and cohesion among the peoples of Europe, focusing on those aspects that serve to overcome conflicts (religious, social and politicians) that the adventurous European history of the modern age brought with him. To begin with, one of the main needs of the initiative arise from the demotivation and lack of protection that young people currently suffer in terms of security, job stability and political participation, which according to the latest Eurobarometer indices are on a downward trend. Therefore, this training course aims to enable local trainers to design solutions and work for youth to have a greater social impact, greater empowerment and leadership in their decisions as well as a relevant presence in the main local institutions. CULTOURACT aims to support the trainers and give the best boost to the youth who have been left unprotected due to the recent circumstances of Covid19 in order to promote a model of democratic participation in which young people and citizens are the protagonists of a future model of Europe that is more sensitive to social issues. For sure, this project impacts positively on participants as they learn new capacities, skills and knowledge that enrich them personally and that have an indirect impact in their communities. Moreover, as participants are coming from different countries, from different cultures, languages and traditions, multiculturalism will be present within the project, enriching participants who will be able to observe that there are common problems to solve in all Europe. Focusing in the subject of the project itself, youth workers learn the current role of youth in Europe and their participative impact such as the benefits of cultural tourism which enriches citizens interest and upgrade the economical wealth. Youth workers gain knowledge about how youth can participate in European participatory programmes (Erasmus+, European Youth Portal) and investigate the beneficial outputs which provides cultural tourism: environment protection, such as the preservation of cultural and artistic heritage, the prosperity of places that are not traditional tourist destinations or the establishment of ties between different cultures. Therefore, the main beneficiaries of the project will be youth workers. Nevertheless, another group will benefit from this project direct or indirectly. For instance, organisations selecting participants for the exchange will take advantage of the experience of them in different ways. Firstly, when they come back, the organisation can spread the knowledge gained with the local youngsters Specifically, the main objectives are: - Promote youth involvement through the immersion of youth workers into European good practices about civic participation and cultural tourism - Increase skills about youth empowerment and social development through civic participation; - Improve working methods through the exchange of experiences among participants; - Provide tools for youth participation and cultural development; - Promote European Values, specifically, about sustainable development in relation to youth and tourism All of the activities were developed through the principles of non-formal education. The objectives were carried out through different educational methods, such as the use of different types of practical games, meetings with local people and local business owners in the agriculture sector, presentations, work in groups, outdoor activities, cultural activities, team-building activities, ice-breaking, workshops, games to get to know each other, trust games, role exchanges, etc.

Project partners (6)