Great Spa Towns of Europe ‘Interspace’ youth project success
June 4, 2024
The Great Spa Towns of Europe (GSTE) has announced that its application for funding under the European Town Twinning Programme (EC Europa CERV : CERV-2023-CITIZENS-TOWN-TT) has been successful.
Their ambitious year-long project, known as INTERSPACE, will involve over 400 young people and citizens from 6 different European countries, speaking 5 different languages and living in 10 different spa towns. The students will visit Baden bei Wien in November 2024 and Mariánské Lázně in April next year at the same time as the GSTE General Assemblies.
“INTERSPACE” stands for “Inter–spa town celebration of European culture and heritage”, and the project aims to foster intercultural dialogue between communities in the GSTE. It will also promote awareness and understanding of common European heritage and values, using the GSTE as the focus and physical location for all the activities. The Great Spa Towns of Europe were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage property precisely because they all share a common heritage – namely the European spa town phenomenon.
Active youth participation and education, cooperation between municipalities, as well as instilling a sense of belonging and custodianship of and through shared European cultural heritage, are the main objectives of this project and of the GSTE in general. Through this project, GSTE will achieve a major outcome of promoting inter-cultural dialogue, mutual understanding and friendship as well as awareness of a unique European story. They will do this by reaffirming the key European values of identity, mutual respect, dialogue, and unity in diversity, solidarity and a positive interaction among the cultures of the GSTE.
The project will run until 30th June 2025. Read the full press release here.
Image: In March 2024, pupils from Montecatini Terme visited Baden Bei Wien, where they took part in a World Heritage Puzzle rally. INTERPACE exchange students will take part in similar activities. photo_sap