United in Diversity through Cultural Heritage

Background

Cultural heritage shapes identities, bridges communities, and tells the stories that bind us across time and place. In many youth work settings, heritage tends to be approached as something to observe rather than something to actively engage with or contribute to. United in Diversity through Cultural Heritage was created to change that.

Launched by AICEM in partnership with organizations from Romania, Poland, Turkey and Sweden, the project connects youth workers across Europe to explore, document, and reimagine the role of heritage in today’s communities. This initiative encourages young people to go beyond learning about heritage. It invites them to take part in it, shape it, and share it in meaningful ways.

Objectives

This Erasmus + project is about making cultural heritage more accessible, more inclusive, and more relevant to the work youth professionals do every day. At its core, it supports learning, exchange, and action on heritage and social inclusion.

To make that happen, we focus on a few clear goals:

🔹 Explore cultural heritage more deeply by combining hands-on experiences with guided visits to meaningful sites.

🔹 Make inclusion a priority by involving participants from different backgrounds, especially those with migration experiences.

🔹 Keep sustainability in mind by reducing waste and encouraging environmentally responsible choices throughout the project.

🔹 Create space for real conversations around migration, identity, and shared experiences.

🔹 Build skills that last by supporting youth workers in developing leadership, communication, and community engagement tools to protect and promote cultural heritage.

🔹 Grow connections across borders by building a strong network of individuals and organizations who share similar values.

🔹 Capture what we learn by co-creating a practical, accessible booklet that brings together the knowledge gained.

🔹 Think long-term by making sure tools, methods, and ideas can be reused and adapted after the project ends.

Together, these objectives guide every part of the project and help ensure that the impact reaches beyond the original group of participants.

Project Phases

The project is structured over 12 months and moved through distinct phases:

Preparation: Virtual meetings to align on vision, delegate roles, and introduce partners.
Mobility and Training: A central training course brings together youth workers for shared learning experiences in cultural heritage, immigration, and inclusion. The mobility will be hosted in Vibo Valentia (Calabria region in Italy);
Field Activities: Visits, workshops, and community engagements take place in local contexts, blending learning with practical contribution.
Follow-Up and Evaluation: Teams reconvene to reflect, assess impact, and plan dissemination.
A final digital booklet synthesizes insights, practices, and reflections to inform youth work across Europe.

Project Activities

The activities are designed to reflect the different backgrounds of the participants and the everyday realities of working with young people. The focus is on learning by doing, sharing experiences, and developing tools that can be used long after the project ends.

Workshops on Cultural Heritage
Practical sessions where participants explore and document cultural heritage in various forms. This include visits to local sites, group discussions, and exercises focused on storytelling and interpretation. The is to give youth workers useful methods for working with heritage in their own communities.
Inclusive Dialogue Sessions
These sessions create space for open conversations about identity, migration, and culture. Participants reflect on their personal experiences and listen to others, building a better understanding of the different perspectives in the group. It’s a chance to practice inclusive communication in a real and respectful way.
Local Community Visits
As part of the program, participants meet with people and organizations involved in cultural work in the host country. These encounters help place the training in a real-world context and bring in valuable insights from outside the project team.

Collaborative Content Development
Throughout the project, participants contribut to a shared booklet that collects tools, reflections, and good practices. Everyone will have a role in shaping the final result, whether through writing, photography, or sharing examples from their own work.
Media and Storytelling Activities
Participants help document the project through interviews, images, and short stories.

Each partner involves four youth workers, including at least one person with a migration background. This mix brings a fruitful exchange between peers.

Final product

The project wraps up with a multilingual booklet that brings together everything learned, created, and shared. It’s not just a summary. It’s a working resource built by the participants, for others who want to explore culture, identity, and inclusion in youth work.

The booklet includes: