Whatever can be digitalised, is being digitalised. This is having far-reaching impacts, both positive and negative, on all corners of society, including the cultural sector, and on our ability to challenge the climate crisis. 

Through the impacts of megatrends, such as digitalisation and globalisation, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, many young people have been left behind, inequalities have deepened, and the digital divide has widened as digital tools have often become tools of exploitation. At the same time, the climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, and the continuing loss of cultural heritage needs to be addressed. These pressing global issues call for new solutions.

Addressing the outlined challenges, the DIGITALROUTES@CULTURE project has developed a digital platform that marks cultural heritage spaces and allows to create routes in Poland, Germany, Romania, Hungary, Greece and Cyprus, which young people can use to explore historical places. 

The DIGITALROUTES@CULTURE consortium believes that a cross-sectoral approach, that exploits the benefits of digitalisation, the innovation of young people, and the potential of our cultural heritage, can develop new approaches and tools that enable young people to drive engagement with our cultural heritage, while promoting environmental sustainability.

THE STATEMENT

We, as stakeholders in European and global society, as civil society, political institutions, educators, employers, and activists, take a stand for the following:

• Young people urgently need the educational opportunities, formal and non-formal, to develop the skills and capacities to ensure these digital transformations have beneficial outcomes for their generation and the economic, environmental, social, cultural and political spheres of society.
• Young people, if engaged with educational opportunities and digital tools, can become valuable stewards of cultural heritage and environmental sustainability. 
• Youth work and youth organisations have unique access to young people in non-formal settings, and, as such, are important players in providing these opportunities to young people. Recognising this, youth organisations should be adequately resourced in terms of capacities and competences, then they can challenge the growing inequalities emerging as a result of digitalisation and the unequal burdens of climate change. 
   

THE COMMITMENT

As political institutions, educational bodies, youth organisations, employers, and young people, we agree to use our unique communities and expertise to network and synergise stakeholders, to fund, to research, to advocate for and to develop programs that enable young people to become engaged with educational opportunities and digital tools, in order to become valuable stewards of cultural heritage and environmental sustainability.