AT A GLANCE
The Shared Horizons Project aims to foster peace and reconciliation in the Western Balkans. ALDA is responsible for the Component 2, that aims at preserving and promoting the region’s cultural heritage, particularly manifested through 6 bridges situated in 6 different countries in the Western Balkan region. The activities will engage young people from diverse communities through blending historical research, photography, and storytelling to deepen their understanding of the past while shaping the future in which divisive narratives are abandoned and a sense of solidarity prevails. The programme aims to educate and activate young people through workshops and projects, creating works that connect the past and present through visual storytelling, resulting in public exhibitions, digital archives, and augmented reality experiences.
The project activities will also promote intercultural dialogue through several cultural events, including youth exchanges and Open Days, in order to encourage mutual understanding among different ethnic and cultural groups. Through the engagement of local traders and artisans, communities and educational institutions, the project will fortify social bonds and establish sustainable networks for future cooperation.
By encouraging solidarity, communication, and a sense of shared cultural pride throughout the Western Balkans, the project ultimately aims to enhance young participation in cultural preservation, enhance access to heritage places and resources and support long-term peacebuilding.
OBJECTIVES
1. Contribute to peace and reconciliation in the Western Balkans by preserving and promoting common cultural heritage, fostering mutual understanding among youth, and strengthening community ties through photography, storytelling and heritage preservation activities.
2. Actively involve young people from the Western Balkans in the preservation and promotion of common cultural heritage through social and historical research, photography and storytelling workshops, and collaborative projects.
3. Strengthen the connection between past and present by digitalizing historical documents and photographs, collecting personal stories, and encouraging young people to create works that combine photography and storytelling, resulting in public exhibitions, online archives and augmented reality experiences.
4. Promote intercultural and intercommunity dialogue by organizing at least 8 cultural events, including Open Days, youth exchanges between partner countries, and a final event, involving diverse communities across the Western Balkans.
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