The European Heritage Hub made an appearance in Kraków to lead a half-day-long seminar at the Jagiellonian University. On 7 March 2025, together with academics and local heritage professionals, members of the European Heritage Hub project met with students to discuss possibilities for youth engagement in various heritage issues.
The event, organised at the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the Jagiellonian University within the framework of the Una Europa university network and the Critical Heritage Studies Hub operating at the Jagiellonian University, was an opportunity to meet specialists from Leuven, Madrid and Kraków. The Head of the Europa Nostra Hub in Kraków, Dr. Katarzyna Jagodzińska, presented the projects carried out by our Hub – in particular those which are part of the European Heritage Hub – and pointed out the potential that could result from greater involvement of youth and young adults in heritage activities. The ideas of green, digital and social transformation, which are at the heart of European heritage policies, provide great scope for collaboration with the student community.
The meeting was opened by Vice-Rector of the Jagiellonian University for Educational Affairs, Prof. Dr Paweł Laidler. Dr. Jermina Stanojev, Research Coordinator at the KU Leuven Institute for Cultural Heritage and Jasna Popović, Programmes Officer of European Projects of Hispania Nostra. Together, they presented the activities carried out within the European Heritage Hub and the collaborative space for young people in this project. This was followed by various presentations of projects, programmes and initiatives in the field of heritage education, ranging from the university consortium Una Europa and the Critical Heritage Studies Hub, to the Jagiellonian University Museum Collegium Maius and the Villa Decius Institute for Culture. It concluded with a panel discussion of all invited guests and students entitled ‘Youth and Heritage: Challenges and Opportunities in Building Social Capital’.
The European Heritage Hub is an EU-funded pilot project bringing together heritage stakeholders and initiatives across Europe to support the transition towards a more sustainable, digital and inclusive society.
