Culture is at the basis of a symbolic world full of meanings, believes, values, traditions and as such it holds a fundamental role in human development. Cultural Heritage, tangible and intangible, includes a wide variety of artistic and cultural forms of expression. The adoption of new technologies offers innovative opportunities and dynamic managerial perspectives. This has significant potential for stimulating jobs and economic growth, and fosters the development of other sectors in the economic system. Culture thus holds an essential role for the creation of national wealth through numerous implication of social, economic and political nature. Investing in cultural resources means contributing to improve the quality of life in a specific territory, attracting new economic, financial, and human resources, improving social and territorial cohesion as well as defining new types of artistic careers. Then, it is important to foster creative and innovative approaches, including development of new tools and methods, to the preservation of Cultural Heritage and its transmission to future generations.This project will be developed in rural regions of Europe countries as Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal, Turkey and Norway and tries to answer to the specific need and problem of:A significant out-migration, especially in the youth (depopulation phenomenon)higher percentage of the population than ever before is older than 60 yearsEARLY wants to match the “old ways” with new generations through creativity to activate new trends (e.g. circular economy, community development, etc) in low density regions. Through the use of cultural resources, we want to:- improve the quality of life in project areas, attracting new economic, financial, and human resources, improving social and territorial cohesion;stimulate local communities and authorities in applying community-based approach and participatory local planning;foster creative and innovative approaches, including development of new tools and methods, to the preservation of Cultural Heritage and its transmission to future generations;stimulate life-long learning and to provide a focal point for older persons’ reflections upon their lives and, and the meaning of cultural heritage for their wellbeing. Increase social cohesion, regional development, an enriched cultural environment, and intergenerational learning, while concurrently extending the knowledge base about the importance and roll of cultural heritage in supporting health.The project is addressed to:The “Third Age” of active and healthy citizens age 60+Youth until 30 years old that are still in the school, that are looking for a work but they are missing it, that are thinking to migrate in the cities.It includes 3 main activities:Throght the participatory rural appraisal methodology we will research about the state of the art of each rural country partner about the profile of experience, practices, knowledge of elders and old generation, that invisible treasure that characterized the internal areas and that is going to be lost because new generations aren’t learning;we will prototype the early model by dividing it in two lines of actions. In the first one, we will involve elders in the realization of videos and in shooting photographs, it will be a series of “tutorials about the old way”. In the second line, we will define the way to involve the one that want to migrate. The focus will be on building with them a path of bilance of competences.From one side, we will involve the target groups as described in the IO2, on the other side we will build the EARLY platform. The platform will be divided in 2 parts: 1. the tutorials: you click on the areas that you prefer (for example agricolture) and you choose the tutorial that you need or that you want to watch; 2 the balance of competence: you access to that area and you start the path by following the tools suggested from our model. Then, from one side, we work in activities/laboratories with our target and deliver contents, on the other side we upload the contents on the platform. The platform is also a way to start the mobility that we want to reach with this project Throught the implementation of the activities, 4 transnational project meeting, 5 local multiplier events, Final results are: - Use of a participatory approach and cultural based methodology - Greater effectiveness for benefit of local communities - Increase capacity of improving strategies and reinforcing cooperation to support youth generations - Improve provision and assessment of basic and transversal skills (entrepreneurship, social, civic, intercultural, etc) - developing methods and activities by which older people can maintain life quality and experience wellbeing - provide a broad conceptual framework for evaluating the role of cultural heritage in the lives of older people- benefit society as a whole, e.g., in relation to social cohesion, regional development, intergenerational lea

This proposal connects skills development and inclusion through creativity and the art with another problem that emerged because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent restrictive measures implemented in European countries such as lock-downs, social distancing, mobility restrictions and other measures established limitations on movement, on assembly, on public gatherings and on free speech, limiting, by consequence, the actions of Young Civil Society Organizations (YCSO) and exacerbated the lack of access to information and disengagement among disadvantaged youth.G-LAB brings aims to foster active citizenship and notably empowering disadvantaged young people, These will be achieved by experiencing arts and creativity processes that will therefore increase their skills and capacities required to show creative leadership of self and others and negotiate entry into the world of employment.the specific goals of this project include:1. Support disadvantaged youth’s civic education and development by connecting skills development and inclusion through creativity and the art, with particular focus on socially disadvantaged groups (ethnic minorities, migrants, LGBTQ community, youngsters with disabilities, etc)2. Create a methodology that combining arts and creativity, mobilizes disadvantage groups to participate in online civic spaces3. Create a community-based guide for Civil Society Organisation (CSO) to help them replicate the methodology and, by applying activities where young people experience arts and creativity, develop young people’s confidence, self-awareness, self-presentation, and increase young people’s skills and capacities required to show creative leadership of self and others and negotiate entry into the world of employment. 4. Promote and increase the engagement of young people in Young Civil Society Organizations;5. Provide a new response to mitigate problems caused by the pandemic, one of them being the negative impact on civic participation of youngsters.6. Increase the ability of community organisations to mobilize and support their communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with strong focus on disadvantaged youth, namely by training these local organisations to mobilize young people’s coping mechanisms to help them mitigate the effects of the pandemic.7. Raise public awareness of the right of young people to have their voices heard and give CSO tools to support young civic participation.Some Outputs are to be available upon the project implementation, namely: “Report on the current trends, key issues, and recommendations to involve disadvantaged youth in civic participation through virtual environment laboratories,Methodology to mobilise disadvantaged youth's online civic participation, piloted in 6 different European countries and involving more than 120 young people_1 course curriculum to train educators, youth workers, educational leaders and support staff to use the methodology and Virtual Communities, available in 5 different European languages (ENG, TK, FR, PT, IT) _Different training materials, available in 5 different European languages (ENG, TK, FR, PT, IT), piloted in 6 different European countries and involving more than 72 professionals_6 Reports on the Train the Trainer pilot courses (one per country partner) _ 1 A Guide for Community-based organisations on how to use Virtual Laboratories with disadvantaged young people Project was designed based on real needs. During the project it is expected to increased participation in European project experiences and active involvement of target groups in learning & empowerment solutions design to promote the active citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity of all young people. At the project completion, one of the biggest expected impacts is the increment in youths’ skills and capacities to show creative leadership of self and others and negotiate entry into the world of employment. Expecting rich results, we will then influence policies that engage, connect, and empower Young people, with strong focus on those that are in disadvantage. They are in such a disadvantaged and vulnerable situation that has multi-roots that claims for a holistic approach. Also, one of the main priorities of this project is social inclusion.