‘Architectural heritage can survive only if the public, and especially younger generations, recognise its value.’ (Council of Europe, 1975)
Building on this premise, the International Symposium on Youth Engagement in Cultural Heritage (ISYECH) aims to bring together MSc and PhD students, early-career researchers, and young professionals to critically explore the role of youth engagement in preserving cultural heritage under conditions of risk, from diverse disciplinary perspectives.
The conference will be held in Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO-listed pilgrimage city renowned for its layered historic fabric and enduring cultural continuity. ISYECH is organised within the framework of the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Youth project titled “Cultural Heritage Recovery after Disasters and Conflicts: Understanding, Training, and Empowerment (CHERISH)”, implemented in collaboration with Proactive Education, Science and Culture International NGO (Türkiye), Federación de Asociaciones Juveniles para la Movilidad Europea (Spain), Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University (Türkiye), Hitit University (Türkiye), Sumy State University (Ukraine), and Umbria Training Centre (Italy).
Cultural heritage reflects the memories, values, and identities of societies, connecting past experiences with present-day social, political, and environmental realities. It includes both tangible and intangible elements and exists at many scales, from landscapes and cities to buildings, traditions, and shared stories. Today, however, cultural heritage is increasingly at risk due to natural disasters, conflicts, climate change, and rapid social and economic change. In post-disaster contexts, especially, heritage can lose not only its physical form but also its meaning and its connection with local communities, highlighting the limits of purely material conservation approaches. Responding to these challenges calls for more holistic and inclusive ways of thinking about heritage. This means bringing together conservation, disaster awareness, sustainability, and community involvement. Within this approach, young people play a vital role, not as passive observers, but as active contributors who interpret, value, and care for cultural heritage. Youth engagement helps build resilience, supports the sharing of knowledge across generations, and encourages more open and adaptive heritage practices.
In this context, ISYECH aims to create a space for dialogue on innovative and youth-centred approaches to cultural heritage. The symposium invites reflections on different scales, periods, and conditions of heritage, while also linking heritage to wider themes such as sustainability, accessibility, and shared values. By focusing on the relationship between heritage, people, and their environment, ISYECH seeks to foster meaningful discussions on resilient.
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