The second training cycle of the international project HeritageHunters&Business will begin in Viljandi on September 23, bringing together over 30 young people from Estonia and Finland. The aim of the program is to help participants identify opportunities in local nature and cultural heritage and develop new and sustainable business ideas based on them.
The training cycle will begin with an opening meeting in Viljandi on 22–25 September, bringing together young people, trainers and project partners. Participants will get to know the training programme, natural and cultural heritage and entrepreneurial mindset. There will also be study visits to Viljandi’s creative and heritage enterprises, including Loomehoovik, Vilma Creative Centre and Bonifatius Guild, as well as joint activities for Estonian and Finnish youth.
The entrepreneurship education program, developed in collaboration with the Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation, the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, The Municipality of Imatra and The Finnish Wilderness Heritage Museum Foundation, addresses the use of heritage in business, entrepreneurial thinking and the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. An important part of the training is the development of your own business idea. Young people can connect their strengths and interests with local nature, culture, traditions, skills and stories. Heritage is not seen only as something from the past, but as an opportunity for the future and entrepreneurship.
The program brings together young people with different backgrounds and ideas. Estonian participants are mainly from Ida-Virumaa, such as Jõhvi, Narva, Kohtla-Järve and Kiviõli, and many of them study at the Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Centre. Finnish young people come mainly from the Imatra, Lappeenranta and Ruokolahti areas, and many study at the Saimaa Vocational School Sampo.
Among the participants are both young people who are still looking for their own ideas and those who already come with concrete plans. The ideas range from a heritage-themed cafe and food truck to digital marketing, e-commerce, car restoration and tourism services combining nature and cultural heritage. The young people are united by the desire to learn how to develop an idea into a functioning company, to gain new knowledge and contacts, and to gain international experience.
The HeritageHunters & Business program is part of the project CB0600324 – HeritageHunters & Business – Using the Local Nature and Cultural Heritage for Entrepreneurship, which is funded by the Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027. The project partners are the Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation, the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, The Municipality of Imatra and The Finnish Wilderness Heritage Museum Foundation. Bottom of Form
More
information about the project:
https://ctc.ee/activities-and-projects/running/heritagehunters-and-business
https://centralbaltic.eu/project/heritagehuntersbusiness/
Ederi Ojasoo,
Peipsi Center
for Transboundary Cooperation
ederi.ojasoo@gmail.com
56636264
