HERITΛGE, a proud member of the EMPATHS consortium, is pleased to announce that registrations are now open for the EMPATHS online training modules on Participatory Heritage Interpretation.

The EMPATHS Training Programme is designed for heritage professionals who want to explore how heritage interpretation can become more participatory, inclusive, and community-centred. Through interactive and practice-based learning, the programme invites participants to rethink the role of heritage professionals as facilitators of dialogue, co-creation, and shared meaning-making.

The programme is being delivered as part of EMPATHS, an Erasmus+ co-funded European project that brings together partners from across Europe to develop new approaches, methods, and tools for participatory heritage interpretation.

The training consists of six live online sessions organised through three regional hubs in Greece, Italy, and Austria-Slovenia. Participants will engage in collaborative learning experiences that include group discussions, breakout activities, reflection exercises, peer exchange, and the practical application of participatory methods.

The programme is open to professionals working at the intersection of heritage and communities, including:

• Museum professionals
• Cultural heritage practitioners
• NGO and civil society actors
• Local authorities
• Tourism professionals
• Educators and facilitators

Participants who successfully complete the online training will become eligible to apply for the next phase of the programme: the Interpretive Community Labs.

These five-day in-person co-creation workshops will offer immersive, real-world learning experiences in collaboration with local communities. During the Labs, participants will apply participatory heritage interpretation methods in practice, co-creating interpretation outcomes while working directly within community contexts.

Each hub will host its own Interpretive Community Lab:

Greece Hub

Participants who complete the online training sessions taking place from 22–29 June 2026 will be eligible to apply for the Interpretive Community Lab hosted at the Ethnological Museum of Thrace between 28 August and 1 September 2026.

Italy Hub

Participants completing the online training may apply for the Interpretive Community Lab taking place in September 2026 at the Archaeological Park of Campi Flegrei.

Austria & Slovenia Hub

Participants completing the online training may apply for the Interpretive Community Lab taking place from 7–11 September 2026 at the Karawanken-Karavanke UNESCO Global Geopark.

A limited number of participants will be selected for each Interpretive Community Lab through a second application process.

The EMPATHS programme offers participants the opportunity to develop practical participatory skills, strengthen facilitation competences, gain hands-on co-creation experience, and connect with a growing European network of heritage professionals committed to more inclusive and collaborative heritage practices.

Participants who complete the programme will also receive a certificate of participation.

To learn more and apply, visit:

https://empaths-project.eu/participatory-training-programme/