In May 2019 Balkan Heritage Foundation administrative officer, Alex Portarev attended the European Young Heritage Professionals Forum in Zadar, Croatia. The event was organized and facilitated by UNESCO and Diadrasis, Greece, as well as the Croatian Ministry of Culture, the European Commission and local heritage specialists. The forum brought together 28 young professionals from different countries in order to learn about the cultural heritage of Zadar between May 20-24, 2019. The theme of the forum was “Cultural Heritage Messengers” in the fields of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Every participant had an ongoing or upcoming project related to cultural heritage preservation and had the opportunity to discuss these ideas with other professionals whilst learning about new ways and methods for reaching and involving people in cultural heritage.

“Every day, project laboratories took place, and the 28 participants, from the Member States of the European Union, had the chance to collaborate with peers and experts to refine their ideas and improve their projects. They explored potential synergies and challenges of working on tangible and intangible cultural heritage and discussed the different realities of working at local, national, and international levels. The young professionals were encouraged to become active ‘Cultural Heritage Messengers’ by spreading the importance of active participation of local communities to protect and safeguard the cultural heritage.”

Taken from the site of European Young Heritage Professionals Forum.