EMPATHS

Helping heritage professionals maximise the power of participation to co-create heritage stories with local communities

EMPATHS (EMpowering landscapes with Participatory Approaches to Heritage interpretation Skills) is a 30-month project (1 Oct 2024 – 31 Mar 2027) coordinated by Interpret Europe, co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme. 

Putting people at the heart of heritage

Putting people at the heart of heritage is the secret to success when it comes to strongly-supported and durable interpretive projects. Indeed, the future of Europe’s cultural heritage depends on it.

Yet, heritage professionals often lack the necessary skills and resources to facilitate effective participatory heritage interpretation initiatives to co-create citizen participation in the identification, enjoyment and preservation of cultural heritage.    

Participatory heritage interpretation: A new training programme 

Empaths will develop a new training programme geared to heritage and community development professionals using participatory heritage interpretation practices to work even more effectively with local communities to collectively redefine how heritage stories are told, experienced and developed, creating lasting connections between people and places. Once tested and refined, the course will be offered to VET providers as a replicable blended training methodology. Along with this action, EMPATHS project will raise awareness on the benefits of participatory heritage interpretation to ultimately foster greater citizen participation in heritage initiatives.

A European partnership and testing ground

EMPATHS features six partners from four European countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, and Italy), forming technical/training and piloting pairs. 

In addition to IE, technical/training partners also include Initiative for Heritage Conservation, or HERITΛGE, a leading heritage management organisation based in Athens  and The Story Behind, based near Naples which specialises in ethical branding, storytelling and interpretation for heritage and cultural organisations.

Piloting partners include Karawanken-Karavanke UNESCO Global Geopark that spans 1,067 km² across the Austrian and Slovenian border, the Ethnological Museum of Thrace in Alexandroupolis, Greece and the Italian Ministry of Culture-operated Archaeological Park of Campi Flegrei on the outskirts of Naples.

Partnership breakdown in ‘national’ pairs:

The technical/training partners bring their expertise in developing and delivering training for heritage professionals in complementary areas (heritage interpretation, community engagement, branding, social research), communication and dissemination. 

The pilot heritage site partners cover the spectrum of cultural, natural, intangible heritage and museums; they all work with HI and community engagement, manage multi-site and multi-community areas and with high environmental risks and need to combine multiple perspectives in the HI of their landscapes to ensure inclusion and sustainable behaviour.

The project partnership also includes the following associated partners:
UNESCO bodies, acting as multipliers:

• UNESCO Regional Bureau for Culture and Science in Europe (Venice)
• UNESCO WHIPIC
• Int. Centre for Interpretation and Presentation of WHS (S.Korea)
• Oberste Denkmalschutzbehörde / UNESCO-Welterbe (DE)
• Univ. of Primorska – Fac. of Humanities, host of the UNESCO Chair in Interpretation and Education (SI
  

Local and regional heritage institutions and organisations interested in community participation and HI, supporting research, development and piloting activities:

• Obir Tropfsteinhöhlen (AU)
• Spreeakademie (DE)
• Podzemlje Pece (SI)
• Soc. for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (EL)
• Mediterranean Inst. for Nature and Anthropos (EL)
• Kytherean Found. for Culture and Development (EL)
• Vovousa Festival (EL)
• Soc. for the Protection of Prespa (EL)
• Cultural and Educational Ass. of Rizia (EL)
• Cottage Industry “Therapeion” (EL)
• Dromeas Of Thrace (EL)
• Arch. park Sibari (IT)
• Arch. park Gaiola (IT)
• PG School of Specialisation in Architectural & Landscape Heritage (Univ. of Naples Federico II, IT)

The results of the project will be validated through pilot projects involving heritage professionals and local communities in Austria, Italy and Greece. Additionally, the project will amplify its impact through dissemination, including a dedicated website, social media campaigns, and transnational events to raise awareness about the benefits of participatory heritage interpretation throughout Europe. 

Website: https://empaths-project.eu/

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.