Civil Society Engagement in community building through the understanding, development, management and preservation of the built cultural heritage of the Western Balkans

EXPEDITIO has started with the implementation of the project “Civil Society Engagement in community building through the understanding, development, management and preservation of the built cultural heritage of the Western Balkans - CSEinHeritage”, in cooperation with the European and Westen Balkan organizations.

The project is implemented within the IPA 2009 – Civil Society Facility – Multi-beneficiary Programmes "Support to partnership Actions between Cultural Organisations launched by the European Commission – the Directorate General for Enlargement.

The project’s lead partner is the organization Transilvania Trust from Romania. The partners are:

Europa Nostra, the Netherlandsa

EXPEDITIO, Montenegro

Cultural Heritage without Borders - CHwB, Sweden

Evropa Nostra Srbija, Serbia

Emancipimi Civil Ma Ndryshe, Kosovo

The overall objective of the project is to strengthen to the role of Civil Society/Cultural operators in raising awareness of the value (social, economic, educational, cultural) of the built cultural heritage in society building and community development.

Representatives of various state institutions in the mentioned Western Balkan couintries will be engaged as collaborators in this project. In Montenegro, we will cooperate with the Department for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage in the Municipality of Kotor

Specific objectives of the project are:

To strengthen the co-operation, networking capacities of CSO’s at an inter - regional level and at a wider European level.
To develop· inter-regional cultural initiatives to improve understanding, promotion and practical conservation practice in the field of Cultural Heritage.
To foster communication and partnership between cultural operators at all levels including local authorities/municipalities, educational establishments, and institutions.
To raise the profile and understanding of the importance of cultural heritage across all sectors of society through the promotion of awareness raising programmes.
To create a network of expertise in heritage related issues which can be mobilized across the Western Balkans.

The project will last for 22 months, until November 2012.