<< Background >>The international ThinkFilM platform has long been dedicated to the development of innovation in the field of non-formal education, with a focus on the development of film and audiovisual education. This project builds on these long-term activities. It focuses on the development of an innovative experiential format of narrative educational game that combines group interaction and digital technologies in a public urban space. Our main target group is young people, for whom the developed educational activities are not only primarily intended, but with whom we are also actively cooperating in their development. Through the development of the methodology and the implementation of the case study, we will contribute to the significant development of the offer of attractive and accessible leisure activities for young people in a format that meets their requirements and also effectively develops their knowledge and experience. We will emphasise the development of themes that will strengthen the offer in the field of film and audiovisual education, which has not yet been introduced into the school curriculum at a formal level in either partner country, and the development of media literacy among young people. At the same time we will make sure that the historical, cultural and social context is included so that educational activities can be effectively linked to the teaching of different subjects. International interdisciplinary cooperation with experts from the fields of museums, education and technology, which will also involve young people from all the countries involved, not only allows us to develop innovative and necessary solutions, but also guarantees the impact of the project at national and international level.<< Objectives >>The aim of the project is to motivate innovation in the development of new forms of non-formal education for young people and to apply practices that combine immersive experiences and game principles with exploration of diverse topics. We will develop ways to meaningfully incorporate digital technologies into educational activities that will both entertain and educate young people. We will present the public urban space as one of the environments that can be used for educational activities without major constraints, and through the methodology we will offer simple tools and procedures to offer activities in such formats to young people in diverse contexts. In an international interdisciplinary collaboration involving experts and young people, we will use the developed methodology to create a narrative educational game in Prague as a case study in the form of a prototype that will present the possibilities in applying the methodology in the field of film and audiovisual education. The aim of the case study is to offer a group experiential activity that will develop film and media literacy among youth, encourage active exploration of the chosen topic in new local, situational and historical contexts, develop the soft skills of the players and strengthen their sensitivity to an otherwise mundane environment. Testing the methodology through a game, which will also have an online version for better accessibility, will serve as a good example of this practice to be disseminated together with the methodology. The project will have a positive impact not only on young people, but also on teachers, who will be offered a new format for enlivening their teaching, for example in history or social sciences, which they will be able to follow up with additional activities thanks to the developed materials available online. The possibility of applying the methodology to new contexts also offers the opportunity to significantly influence the development of educational programmes of museums and other cultural-educational organisations, which can innovate their offer with new activities that go beyond the limits of their own space, the capacity of lecturers or finances.<< Implementation >>For the successful implementation of the project, we plan different types of activities that will complement each other according to the nature of the individual sub-tasks. These activities include: project meetings, production of project results and public presentation and dissemination of project outputs, in addition to project management and coordination. Face-to-face and online project meetings will take place continuously throughout the implementation period, both within the framework of the international project meetings and within the individual project partner groups. The production of project deliverables will involve all partners and will include activities to ensure alignment with the project's stated objectives and the needs of the target groups. These include research, joint creative workshops and professional training (e.g. access to digital interpretation of cultural heritage), personal consultations with selected experts, testing of the project's partial results with the target groups and the implementation of a case study. Public presentations and dissemination of outputs beyond the partner organisations will be undertaken during the project and after its completion. This will include publications, conferences and other dissemination events that will allow not only feedback from experts but also the possible establishment of new partnerships, as well as public cultural events and testing of prototypes.<< Results >>The project will have two main outputs. The first is an outdoor educational game methodology that aims to offer tools to effectively incorporate game principles, physical interaction in an actively engaged environment and digital technologies into education to meet the needs and demands of the current generation. The methodology will be freely available online after the end of the project for the possibility of its use envisaging diverse topics in new contexts, and steps will be taken to disseminate it during and after the project. The target users of the methodology will be mainly museums and other cultural and educational organizations, which can apply their core themes to its framework and use otherwise unused environments in their surroundings for innovative work with youth.The second output of the project is a case study in the form of a game prototype, the conception and implementation of which will test the applicability and effectiveness of the methodology in practice. The case study will focus on a film-historical theme with the intention of contributing to stimulating learning about modern history, as well as to the development of informal film and audiovisual education, which is still an underdeveloped sector in the participating countries. The realisation will take place in the centre of Prague, whose environment will play an important role in the story of the game, but at the same time the output will also include an online version that can be used without limitations on space and time. The output will be primarily intended for youth groups (12-18 years old), another target group being educators and educators who will be able to incorporate it into their educational activities. We also foresee further adaptations of the prototype, especially in regards to presenting the project nationally and internationally (e.g. active contributions at conferences, publications).

All EU Member States are facing several similar key challenges: (1) There are weaknesses in competence development at school education level. As a result, the European young people are more likely to face important, lifelong obstacles to social inclusion and employability; (2) School education does not always play in full its role to promote equity and social fairness. Educational achievements greatly depend on the pupil's socio-economic background. Schools need to respond to the pace of technological and digital change, having a profound effect on our economies and societies. It is therefore crucial to face the challenges through: (1) digital technologies can enrich learning experiences and support development beyond digital competence. They can support communication and cooperation in and between schools and enhance the participation of pupils and their families in school life; (2) Schools need to support all learners and respond to their specific needs. Some EU Member States face difficulties in providing pupils with difficulties in learning and disabilities access to inclusive, quality education; (3) Support should be provided for peer exchange and helping to improve methods of organisation, teaching practices and learning experiences for enhancing schools to broaden connections and enabling cross-border peer exchange; (4) Supporting teachers and school leaders for excellent teaching and learning through developing online communities and resources. Educational innovations such as collaborative peer networks, MOOCs, and the sharing of OERs can complement these methods and help overcome barriers to participation; (5) Effective school leadership impacts positively on student achievement, teaching quality and staff motivation.Based on the context above, the project general objective is to support the implementation of innovative teaching methods, through integration of virtual and mixed reality (VR and MR) technologies in the educational approaches across Europe. The project general objectives will be supported through the successful achievement of three specific objectives:+ ensuring high-quality and inclusive education, through enriching learning experiences while supporting effective use of digital technologies and encouraging activities that link learning with real-life experience, through the application of virtual and mixed reality;+ empowering teachers and school leaders by strengthening targeted collaboration, learning networks, online communities and innovative pedagogical practices among teachers and school leaders, and involving other relevant stakeholders;+ enhancing European cooperation in the field of school education through building a European Network for VR Technology in Education for establishment of closer contacts between European schools stakeholders, teachers and school leaders, and supporting policy reforms in the educational field.The target groups of the project will include:+ Disadvantaged groups of students in schools, such as children with difficulties in learning, within culturally diverse communities, as well as those with physical disabilities. + Teachers from all school grades, more specifically those teaching subjects in geography, history, nature and human sciences, ITC;+ School leadership and networks, specifically school managers, influencers in the field of school education, policy and decision makers.The project will carry out a total of six intellectual outputs for upgrading and complementing the existing platform for virtual reality in education IEDU360. They will follow a strict timetable and will deliver the following results:1. Review of the schools curriculum of the countries included in the project, and shortlisting of lessons for VR/MR adaptation.2. Developed assignment for 360° VR and Mixed Reality Modules Software Development.3. Upgraded IEDU360 platform with three new features - teachers and homework tool, Mixed reality tool and 360° VR video content feature.4. Mixed reality and 360° VR video educational resources database established.5. The European VR and 360° Image Bank upgraded and enriched within the IEDU360 platform. 6. Developed Standard IEDU360, containing quality standards of 360° capturing and the VR and MR content.7. Established and operational European Network for VR Technology in Education.All results and lessons learned will be disseminated in a total of six dissemination events in all partnership countries. The project will build upon and complement a cutting-edge approach to teaching, learning and developing of the educational approaches to the schools. The virtual and mixed reality technologies have a growing and disruptive impact of the digitalisation of education. Thus, the innovation will respond to the rapidly changing demands of learners and teachers. It will bring the technological and digital developments to the hand of the teachers, by providing them tools for innovative teaching methods.

<< Background >>The cultural sector was one of the most affected by the economic crisis caused by the diffusion of Covid-19 and consequent restrictive measures established by national governments within the whole EU area. In spite of that, cultural operators and heritage managers have been seeking alternative ways to reach and involve their audiences, by making extensive use of creativity and digital solutions. During the lock-down phase, the public was maybe more than ever interested in culture and returned to discover its values. Young people especially were very creative in digital communication on social networks with various cultural contents, that actually led to acceptance of such initiatives by cultural institutions. In particular, the interest of the public was attracted by those heritage sites already offering virtual tours or able to promptly adapt to the new scenario and switch their communication strategy into the digital format. In spite of the present hard times for culture, this situation clearly showed that new potentials and hidden forces arose and opened the way to a new chapter, which was only visible in traces so far. These potentials and forces are represented by Millennials which are the main target group to which this project is addressed. The spread of Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on young people’s everyday life, thus changing their needs again. They need to recover a sense of identity, a feeling of belonging and connection with their communities as well as some habits lost during the pandemic. In fact, the COVID-19 health crisis and its consequences have upended how people socialise, increasing loneliness. Several psychological and sociological studies are dedicated to effects on individuals and collectivities, observing symptoms of anxiety and depression especially among young people. In this respect, to recover traditions and history can enhance self-awareness and resilience, besides stimulating a feeling of sharing and a sense of belonging to a wider community. This also at European level thanks to the awareness that different people from other countries could share common features connecting their past and present as well.On the other hand heritage managers represent the needs of the partnership. In particular, heritage managers need to be able to involve Millennials, because they can bring by them new potentials and forces to enhance their competencies and to increase the employment rate consequently. They need to learn new languages which could facilitate a way to approach the young generations, thus turning pandemic difficulties into new opportunities for both of them. In this sense the new ICT technologies and social media can help heritage managers to communicate with Digital Natives. Reinventing Museum Communication, they can get young people close to cultural heritage sites and museums.<< Objectives >>This proposal aims to foster concrete actions to shorten the distance between Millennials and cultural heritage. In particular, the specific objectives of the project are: -to promote awareness among young people on the potentials of cultural heritage for the construction of a European citizenship which is based on the value of local identities and cultural diversity;-to develop innovative digital tools and communication strategies which allow to engage the youngest generations in creating contents and sharing their perceptions and feelings in relation to cultural heritage, while developing key competences and basic skills-to exploit the creative and innovative potential of Millennials by engaging them in cultural heritage management-to enhance and update the competences of cultural heritage managers towards contemporary languages, creative approaches and digital toolsIn order to achieve its objectives, the project will be based on a two-fold and cross-sectorial approach. On one hand, Millennials will be actively involved so as to fully explore and exploit their potential. They will not be taught during the project, but they will be rather listened and engaged. Cultural heritage managers will learn from their creativity, ideas, fresh insight, habits, dictionary especially lifestyle, which is absolutely in line with the digital era. They will be actively involved as creators, users and evaluators of the products and tools developed throughout the project. Digital communication strategies will be improved and updated thanks to their contribution, according to their perception and understanding of heritage, its values and potentials. On the other hand, as a consequence of Millennials’ engagement, cultural heritage managers and tourist guides will be able to enhance and update their competences and get a better understanding of contemporary languages, so that the new digital tools will be directly implemented and tested in heritage presentations. The project aims to create a future creative force of young educated professionals who will impact the development of cultural heritage, which will be more prepared for the new public which is already knocking the heritage doors. Thus the project aims to involve the focus groups of millennials and the “Generation Z” as active participants who will provide their creative solutions for the development of cultural heritage management.<< Implementation >>The project is based on a sound intervention logic which is aimed to establish a clear connection between activities, expected results and specific objectives. Some specific results are particularly relevant to the achievement of each specific objective. In particular, all the specific objectives of the project are strictly connected with the successful implementation of the various phases envisaged for the development of the three main project results. Thus, the project structure has been rationally organised in order to facilitate a smooth implementation of all project activities and ensure a fair and balanced distribution of workloads among partners. Project activities are structured into different Work Packages, each of them with its own set of activities and expected outputs, which will be prepared in a given time as project deliverables. The distribution of roles and responsibilities among partners was established during the project planning phase and agreed by all partners in order to maximize efficiency, according totwo main criteria. The first criterion is the specific expertise provided by each partner, depending on its fields of activity and previous experience in international projects; the second isto distribute workloads among partners in a balanced way.In order to achieve the expected results and outcomes the following activities will be implemented during the project lifetime: Project management, monitoring and evaluation. All the activities related to this work package are coordinated by Asso Enti Locali, the project leader. Communication and dissemination activities. The work package is coordinated by Brodoto association from Croatia.Activities related to the production of the 3 main project results. Partners have complementary skills suitable for achieving the expected results thanks to the synergy that will be adopted during the project lifetime. The coordinator will act as a supervisor of the entire process leading to their production. Cyprus University of Technology has specific competences for the production of the digital platform (R1); the Association of Heritage Managers and the Institute of Archaeology bring the most specific competences about the cultural heritage sector necessary for the other results (R2, R3); the Archaeology Student Association, further to involve young participants, such as the Student Organization of the University of Lubiana, involves young people with specific skills in the relevant sector. Brodoto is a young reality which brings a transversal added value of specific competences in the communication field. In order to produce the expected results the active involvement of two target groups (Millennials and heritage managers) will be essential in many steps and different phases of the project. 2 transnational learning, teaching and training activities will be organized during the project lifetime and they play an absolutely key role for the achievement of the project specific objectives and results. The first is a learning mobility targeted to 50 young people that will be learning and working together. They will be hosted in Serbia by one of the most important archaeological sites of the country. The second is a joint staff training event organized in Croatia. In this case 12 professionals of the heritage sector and staff of the involved organizations will give a fundamental contribution in the production of the second project result.4 transnational meetings are scheduled to organise the common work and facilitate cooperation among partners, identify possible risks and address any issues preventing a smooth implementation of planned activities or leading to results below expectations.6 Multiplier events will be carried out in order to promote and diffuse the project results among a wide audience of potential users and relevant external stakeholders at European level.<< Results >>The project work plan foresees a wide range of results which are strictly interconnected between them and functional to the achievement of the specific objectives. The cooperation partnership aims to produce three main results which are briefly described below:-COOLTOUR digital platform This output consists of an innovative digital tool aimed to promote the active involvement of Millennials and collect their inputs for the creation of contents and storytelling related to cultural heritage. The COOLTOUR platform is a hybrid social media web application allowing users to create and share contents related to the archaeological sites involved in the project, such as reflections on heritage given in vlogs, blogs, inventing new heritage brands, creating heritage inspired emoticons, creating routes for “young heritage” as well as heritage presentation from young people’s perspective, so as to strengthen the link between culture heritage and young generations.-COOLTOUR toolkit for heritage managers: It consists of an innovative methodology aimed to foster the engagement of young people in cultural heritage through the use of interactive digital tools and non formal learning activities. The high innovativeness of this methodology lies in the fact that it is developed by taking advantage of the potential of millennials in terms of creativity, emotional intelligence, digital skills and contemporary languages, in order to develop learning activities addressed to heritage managers. Through the use of this toolkit, the latter will improve their digital skills and professional competences and get a better understanding of the potentials of digital communication for the further engagement of young people, thus creating a virtuous circle which is going to bring concrete benefits to the target groups in first place, in terms of empowerment, personal and professional development. -COOLTOUR Guidelines for a contemporary Cultural Heritage Management Plan: how to involve the new generations so that they become more and more interested in the European cultural heritage? The result will be able to answer this question! The new management plan of cultural heritage presentation oriented to the young generation considering branding, design and digital marketing strategies together with the design of the new thematic route invented for the purpose of the involvement of the target public. The guidelines for the new management plan dedicated for the specific purpose of the involvement of youngsters as contemporary and future visitors will provide fresh insight into the developed and tested strategies which will influence the shift in the so far known management plans. Further to the specific and concrete results the project will be able to produce other kinds of outcomes thanks to the active involvement of a high number of organisations and individuals, in particular young people, across 6 European countries. These will include the project staff, participants at local activities, participants at the transnational training activities and multiplier events. All these people will be able to experience and better understand the social and educational value of cultural heritage and its potentials regarding the development of European citizenship. The project will also contribute to positive changes in various spheres of society at all scales. In particular, it is expected to generate a better awareness on the value of cultural diversity and the power of cultural heritage in terms of social cohesion and empowerment of young people. At the same time, it is expected to reinforce the connection between archaeological sites and youth, with benefits spreading from local to European dimension.

The project proposal stems from the assumption that European Cultural Heritage represents an enormous potential for the construction of European citizenship as a concept which is based on the value of cultural diversity and allows individuals to build and shape their own identities at different levels, overlapped but not in contrast among each other, including local, national and European dimension. The educational value of cultural heritage is nowadays widely recognized both at societal, scientific and institutional level. The dynamic relationship between identity and diversity and how cultures evolve because of absorbing elements from other cultures are at the core of this project, allowing secondary school students to discover and understand the value of cultural diversity through the legacy left by ancient populations living in the same territories and to learn the importance of cultural “contamination” as a way to enrich and shape local and territorial identities.Based on these premises, the project has the following specific objectives:• To promote the social and educational value of cultural heritage and its contribution to social inclusion and the construction of a European citizenship based on the value of cultural diversity as the legacy of local identities and ancient migrations• To create and develop an innovative educational methodology addressed to high school pupils, aimed to promote the active involvement of the pupils in the construction of paths of discovery and interpretation of cultural heritage under the thread of ancient migration flows• To promote the development of key competences and skills among pupils, such as in particular the spirit of initiative and communication in foreign languages, social and civic skills, awareness and cultural expression• To strengthen the link between the management of archaeological sites and the local communitiesThe project envisages a wide range of results, which are strictly interconnected between them and functional to the achievement of the above described specific objectives. The most important tangible result is the TRAME Manual for teachers and educators, containing the description of the educational methodology targeted to high school pupils and developed by partners throughout the project. The TRAME educational methodology will be based on a multidisciplinary and participatory approach to heritage, aiming to promote intercultural dialogue and foster the active participation of pupils in the construction of paths of discovery and interpretation of cultural heritage under the thread of ancient migration flows.Pilot courses to test and validate the educational methodology will be run by the staff of partner organisations in Italy, Hungary, Serbia, Poland and Turkey, lasting around three months (2-3 hours per week) and involving both school teachers and heritage managers as facilitators of the learning process. The pilot courses will involve at least two classes per institute, with a total of around 200 pupils in 5 different countries.The TRAME consortium, led by Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, was built step by step starting from the selection of relevant archaeological sites which could be directly or indirectly involved and connected among them under the common thread of ancient migratory flows. The consortium is characterized by a transversal nature, involving different types of organisations such as schools, public and private entities in charge of the management of important archaeological sites and a regional public body responsible for educational policies. It is composed by 8 organisations from 5 different countries, embracing an extended area ranging from the Mediterranean (Turkey, Italy) to the Western Balkans (Serbia) and Central Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland), characterized by a huge cultural diversity but nevertheless connected by common traces of memory involving religion, funeral rites, trade routes, Roman colonization, etc.The project will involve different target groups in its different phases. First of all, teachers and heritage managers will be engaged and will cooperate to jointly develop an innovative educational methodology. In fact, both categories are in need of effective tools and methodologic approaches to take advantage of the educational value of cultural heritage and engage pupils in its conservation and valorisation. In a second phase, the effectiveness of the methodology will be tested on high school pupils, who will be involved first in laboratories at local level and then in transnational activities allowing them to work together with their peers from other partners’ countries. The students will benefit of a new multidisciplinary and participatory approach to heritage, focussed on their learning needs and allowing them to overcome cultural barriers and combat stereotypes related to diversity.

Climate change is a pressing threat, and Europe faces a significant challenge to address it urgently. The EU has set ambitious climate goals, such as the Green Deal's target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. But this challenge also involves deep social and cultural transformations. Within this context, the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) play a crucial role in the climate transition by raising awareness, changing imaginaries and contributing to economic sustainability and innovation. However, CCIs, particularly small and medium-sized organisations, are vulnerable due to limited resources and fragmentation, emphasized by the negative consequences of climate change. They urgently require tested tools to enhance their capacity for rapid adaptation and making meaningful contributions to the climate transition. Cultural and Artistic Social Enterprises within CCIs, work in close proximity to citizens and cooperation with local actors, which makes them uniquely able to identify emerging social and environmental demands. Based on this citizen and creative-driven knowledge, they propose innovative and creative solutions, having a unique potential of influencing values and attitudes and inspiring blueprints within the sector and beyond. The EMCCINNO project (EMpowering CCIs to boost systemic INNOvation for sustainable climate transition) brings together the fields of CCIs, climate transition, and social enterprises. It aims to refine, test, validate and scale sustainable business models, implementing them into prototypes for real-world impact within small and medium-sized CCIs. Focusing on cultural and artistic social enterprises, the project involves five diverse organisations from five EU Member States that will design, and test prototypes based on their sustainability transition needs, supported by researchers throughout the process, thus contributing to the EU's climate goals.