By implementing the project, the partners wanted to contribute to the recognition of youth work and its practices, by combining methods and tools from youth work and historic and civic education. They also wanted to improve their, skills, and competencies in youth work and in dealing with project topics, to become more successful in their work with young people, and to gain more visibility and recognition on local and European levels., partners wanted to have an impact on young people directly and indirectly involved in the project, to get new knowledge, raise awareness about the project topics, develop critical thinking, and motivate young people to be active citizens., the partner wanted to contribute to young people’s ability to combat radicalized discourses and nationalistic and populist narratives, deconstruct stereotypes and prejudices, promote inclusion, and support democratization processes and European values. The partners wanted to create new and innovative methods and tools, tangible project results that will contribute to the improvement of their work and in creating better and inclusive activities and programs for the young people in their local communities and Europe.
When applying for this project, the partners started from the idea that the cities we live in are not neutral, but they communicate through their public spaces certain values that citizens often do not recognize and are not aware of. That lack of knowledge and understanding is making citizens less active and less competent to reflect on their beliefs, values, and the changes within the societies they live in. The need for the partner organizations was to develop new methods and tools to work with young people on the topics of historic civic education, modernize their curricula, and have a stronger impact on the young people they are working with. The second need identified was to improve youth work and to contribute to its recognition through innovative methods and recommendations. Finally, the needs identified for the young people were to understand the reality around them and to be more able to approach complex topics critically. Furthermore, young people expressed the need to become more aware of the political history, messages, and values their cities are communicating, as well as to better understand their local history and its connection with European and world trends.