Captivating photos of thousands of young people expressing their take on European values and cultural heritage have marked the start of the summer season of European Year of Cultural Heritage events.

With the celebrations being in full swing all over Europe, a major event has been a part of the heritage-inspired momentum. European Youth Event (EYE) has brought together a record-breaking number of young people to the seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 1 and 2 June. A total of 8,500 young people came together to showcase their views on the European shared heritage.

Traditionally held every two years, this year’s EYE coincided with the European Year of Cultural Heritage and emphasised the main theme of the year. The official programme dedicated to the EYCH consisted of two workshops that focused on creating space for young people to take part in preserving the old and mapping the new heritage with respect to the shared values.

 #EuropeforCulture: engaging the young in EYCH

The #EuropeforCulture workshop dealt with means to help young people to participate in preserving and promoting heritage in a way that is most in tune with their generation’s lifestyle. Whether through promoting history and culture using digital technology, or through taking action to sustain endangered heritage sites, young Europeans can play crucial role in heritage future.

Video games meet heritage: Young digital creators for Europe's cultural assets

Another innovative outtake on heritage presented in the 2018 EYE event was brought by young digital-era generations. European youth is reshaping the heritage and culture by incorporating the old within the new as seen in creating heritage-based video games.

Yo!Fest: Heritage and Fun

Being more informal in nature and held in the European Commission tent outside of the Parliament building, Yo!Fest  provided an amazing landscape for European youth to immerse themselves in fun activities regarding Europe’s cultural heritage. The festival that included activities such as quizzes, demonstration of videogames as well as a photo gallery of Europe's masterpieces, was organised by the European Youth Forum.

To find out more about the EYE event visit the official web page or the EYE Facebook page.

Upcoming opportunities for the young

In addition to this recent Europe-wide activity, the young people who wish to explore and showcase their perspectives on our shared heritage have a number of possibilities to do so. One of the latest activities launched by the European Commission is the #DiscoverEU programme, which is looking to award 15,000 18-year-olds from all across Europe with free travel passes to explore and experience heritage.

Following the theme of targeting the future heritage custodians, the call is open until 26 June and will enable the participants to travel mainly by train to up to four destinations for a total of 30 days. In this way, they would be able to visit many European Year of Cultural Heritage events taking place in the country they visit.

The projects like these help create the atmosphere for young people to better understand their European identities and our shared values. More importantly it promotes diversity and unity among young people, ensuring a more cohesive and inclusive European heritage future.

For more information regarding application and deadlines visit the official website.

Photo Credits: European Parliament