“Training for the Contact Zone” (TCZ) is an Erasmus+ Adult Education project, running from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2026. The project aims to raise awareness about the importance of, and challenges faced by, museums and heritage sites in reaching and serving broad and diverse audiences. Training is essential to effectively manage new approaches.
The following organisations form the TCZ consortium:
- Culture Action Europe (Brussels, Belgium) – lead for networking and knowledge sharing
- Conexiones improbables (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) – lead for curriculum development
- Etz Hayyim Synagogue (Chania, Crete, Greece)
- Goethe-Institut (Bucharest, Romania) – lead for communication and dissemination
- Humán Platform (Budapest, Hungary)
- PELE (Porto, Portugal) – lead for training
- Stichting Herengracht 401 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) – overall project management lead partner
Objectives & Activities
Over the next two years, we will develop and test training materials for heritage sector professionals, artists, cultural mediators, staff, and volunteers.
TCZ will conduct training sessions to enhance the skills of cultural mediators and support innovation in their practices.
The main goal is to make heritage institutions more representative of contemporary European societies, promote a transnational view of history, and contribute to greater social inclusion.
Inclusive European History
European history is as much a history of shared cultural accomplishment as it is a history of violence: wars, colonization, totalitarian and imperial regimes, religious and economic violence leading to social injustice, racial violence, and, more broadly, the creation and suppression of ‘othered’ groups.
Recognizing all aspects of history, including its conflicts, can make Europe’s heritage more inclusive. Engaging with marginalized citizens can uncover hidden histories and foster a genuine European culture of remembrance.
Expected Results
Background & Toolkit
The TCZ project builds on the needs identified by the Heritage Contact Zone (HCZ), an EU-funded project under the European Year of Cultural Heritage (2018–2020). One of its final outcomes was the HCZ Toolkit, an online handbook available for free via: HCZ Toolkit.
Training for the Contact Zone is co-funded by the European Union within the framework of Erasmus+ Adult Education.
