Gemeinsam Stadt erforschen

<< Background >>The project was about communicating city histories. Two partners developed innovative methods to collect local knowledge. Citizen science methods were used for this. The target group consisted of young adult learners. They were encouraged to engage with the history of their cities (Bludenz in Austria and Vilnius in Lithuania). In a globalized world, engaging with one's own living environment can contribute to an understanding of established structures and the development of identity. We wanted to come closer to this goal in the project. The population of our cities was able to engage intensively with the historical development in numerous programs and events. We promoted intergenerational dialog by encouraging young adults to engage intensively with the stories of older people. In this respect, we wanted to create a contemporary learning environment and highlight the importance of museums and other educational institutions for imparting local knowledge. Thanks to the broad networking of our institutions in Bludenz and Vilnius, the project was able to be set up in a diverse network.<< Objectives >>Since its foundation in 1987, the Bludenz Region History Association has been committed to researching and communicating the history of the town and Dregion of Bludenz. Over the past decades, many projects have been developed and implemented on a regional basis. These activities were now to be raised to an international level in the project. The main aim was to raise the Stadtlabor Bludenz, a project to collect and communicate local knowledge, to an international level. To this end, a partnership was developed with the TORO Group organization in Vilnius. The cooperation between a small Austrian town and a European capital had a particularly positive effect on the dynamics of the project. Working together, we wanted to motivate young adult learners to approach their living environment using suitable methods. Embedded in broad regional networks, different approaches and formats were to be developed in order to develop creative ideas for communicating established structures. At the same time, we wanted the project to raise awareness of lifelong learning and the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ program in this regard. << Implementation >>The two organizations in Austria and Lithuania initially laid the foundations for successful project work at a local level. Communication took place via regular ZOOM meetings. We reported on the ongoing activities on a Facebook page. Soon after the start of the project, a transnational meeting was held in Lithuania to coordinate the project on the one hand and to communicate the diverse history of Vilnius on the other. In workshops and events such as museum programs and excursions, young adults subsequently dealt with the history of their cities. Interviews with contemporary witnesses, collections of historical photographs, forums for networking and discussing the results of historical research and a variety of impulses for contemporary museum work were created. The Stadtlabor Bludenz received many new contributions through the project, as did the local history collection of the TORO Group organization in Vilnius. The bilateral project has laid the foundation for a further and more in-depth examination of citizen science and innovative methods of communicating history. << Results >>The project has provided many impulses for the communication of local history and a critical examination of the past and present of cities. In numerous events, low-threshold approaches have been developed that enable a critical view - especially of contemporary history. The dialog between generations was promoted through the development of oral history methods. Joint events were held at the two international project meetings, making the international character of the project visible. In addition, the Geschichtsverein Region Bludenz and TORO Group reported on the progress of the project on a Facebook page, as well as in local media, reports and documentaries. The outputs of the project are clearly presented on the website of the Bludenz Region History Association. The partner organizations have jointly published a brochure on the topic of communicating the town's history. An exhibition with the results of the project was also held in Bludenz. Much of the documented content in written and audiovisual form will be available beyond the duration of the project.