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HERO - ECOLOGICAL RENOVATION OF HERITAGE TO PROMOTE INCLUSION OPPORTUNITIES

European project
December 2021 to October 2024

The HERO project aims to turn the restoration of European heritage into a lever for professional, social and environmental inclusion. This will ultimately enable the final beneficiaries, vulnerable and unemployed people, to find a way to work on supports that are unique in terms of prestige, history, collective dimension and enable them to have a connection with the common European heritage. This 34-month Erasmus+-supported project brings together 5 European partners, including POUR LA SOLIDARITÉ-PLS.

Context

Heritage deterioration is a problem facing many European countries. Heritage restoration is also suffering from a loss of artisanal techniques. Furthermore, according to Eurostat, in March 2021, unemployment in the EU reached 7.3%, exacerbated by the Covid-19 economic crisis. Heritage restoration is a professional field that can help combat unemployment, and social inclusion can be promoted through training and further training for the unemployed, vulnerable people and NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training).  

Consequently, the project also aims to contribute to a sustainable and resilient Europe by enabling access to assets through inclusion and vocational training. It aims to strengthen the skills of trainers who work with the vulnerable unemployed, through a training of trainers that will focus on :

  • The adaptation of the trainers' pedagogy to the vulnerable unemployed ; based on learning by doing, considering the renovation of endangered historic sites as a pedagogical tool for integration and vocational training. 
  • The inclusion of environmentally-friendly practices in the work of trainers, still based on the learning-by-doing approach, considering the restoration of historical heritage as a pedagogical tool for environmental renovation and emphasizing the link between culture and nature.

Expected Results

  • Gallery of inspiring practices and portraits

This first production aims to identify and raise awareness of existing best practices in Europe that combine training and support for vulnerable people with heritage renovation. The aim is to highlight the existing administrative and legislative frameworks for this sector of activity, and to illustrate how the renovation of European heritage can become a lever for professional, social and environmental inclusion.

  • Toolkit on inclusion and training for the vulnerable unemployed

This training toolbox aims to enable trainers specializing in heritage restoration to address specific end-beneficiaries, namely the vulnerable unemployed. This production will focus on historic monuments as a lever for pride and professional and social inclusion, rather than on technical aspects.

  • Toolbox on ecological and technical aspects of heritage restoration.

This training toolbox will focus on the environmental and technical dimensions of heritage restoration and will be specifically tailored to trainers in the field of architectural heritage renovation, who are already or will be involved in educating groups of vulnerable people as part of their integration into the job market.

  • White paper

This latest production adopts a problem-solving approach and is intended as a guide for public authorities first and foremost, but also for associations and citizens, with the aim of engaging stakeholders and formulating concrete recommendations concerning the safeguarding of European heritage as a lever for professional integration and training.

Partners