Learning from the Past
In 2018 Global Link was awarded Erasmus+ funding to coordinate a European peace heritage project that built on and extended our work on Documenting Dissent. Learning from the Past (2018-2021) is a KA2 Erasmus+ project that aims to promote the European values of internationalism, equality and human rights.
During the project, adult research volunteers from seven European countries used archives, libraries and museums to research local history relating to peace and internationalism in the years following the First World War. This learning was documented through an online interactive map on the Learning from the Past website. The website also features a set of resources for people interested in researching 20th century peace initiatives or internationalist activity in Europe.
The volunteers shared these little-known histories with young people in their country and invited them to create films, theatre, literature and visual art in response to this learning, linking it with contemporary issues of conflict and peace in Europe today. These artistic responses were shared and discussed with the wider community in a series of ‘Living Museums’ across the partner countries in 2020, culminating in an online exhibition, launched on the Learning from the Past website in February 2021, which brings the map entries and artistic responses together. The exhibition transfers to Lancaster City Museum in in July 2021.
Watch the Learning from the Past project video:
Global Link also received co-funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund to support further work with young people in the UK. This project built on our Documenting Dissent project, World War I: Sowing the Seeds of Global Citizenship. Sowing the Seeds of Global Citizenship involved young people from Lancaster Royal Grammar School and 3rd Parbold & Dalton Girl Guide Unit who researched their own archives to write up new entries for the online heritage maps and create displays and arts work for the Learning from the Past exhibition.
In 2020 the Learning from the Past (LFTP) partners were awarded further Erasmus+ funding for a follow-up project. Sharing Learning from the Past with Youth in Europe is a KA1 Mobility Project that will bring together our European LFTP volunteers to share best practice and strengthen our capacities as a network to develop heritage projects with young people, including the creation of joint ‘manifesto for heritage work with European youth’.
