CULTSENSE – Sensitizing Young Travellers to Local Cultures Erasmus Project

Project Title

CULTSENSE – Sensitizing Young Travellers to Local Cultures

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

1. Project background
With the increase in mobility overall, and of tourism in particular, many places have been feeling increased pressures. This has led to complaints from local residents in those places that experience overcrowding, and since the numbers of visitors to many places are only increasing, learning how to be a better traveller can be part of the solution. By working directly with young travellers, CULTSENSE aims at contributing to change this situation on the long-term.
CULTSENSE aims to contribute to addressing the issue of the increased mobility pressures over places and tensions and conflicts between locals and travellers. Through specific educational approach to a more understanding attitude towards other cultures, CULTSENSE aims at providing tools to HE students, who are the biggest share of young travellers (WYSE, 2017), and teaching staff. By focusing on Tourism, Leisure and Culture (TLC) programs, the project aims at providing tools and disseminate them largely through different channels and networks (such as WYSE and ATLAS).

We believe that education plays a major role in addressing the problem which is also a matter of citizenship, important in the Dutch agenda for education. By sensitizing young travellers for local cultures, the project contributes to better quality of life for locals, more meaningful experiences for travellers and an overall better understanding of European values and identity.

These pressures and tensions have been growing in Europe, with cities like Barcelona, Lisbon or Amsterdam having media attention for what is sometimes called “overtourism”. In the Netherlands, this has been of great concern, in Amsterdam, but also in Rotterdam where tourism numbers and international youth mobility has been rapidly increasing in the last years.

The HEI’s partners work as nodes in a network and together they cover different geographical areas, a range of expertise and experiences, as well as different points of view. The reach of the partners is there-fore important and provides a set of perspectives that enrich the innovativeness of the project, as well as of the solutions and tools anticipated.

2. Objectives
CULTSENSE aims at developing tools for sensitizing young travellers to understand and respect better the local norms, values, beliefs and cultures of the places they visit. The tools will be co-created with and for students and teaching staff. It aims firstly at developing pedagogic modules that can be integrated in different courses, in particular in Tourism, Leisure and Culture (TLC), areas in which (potential) young travellers are more inclined to be aware of local cultures. Secondly, a pedagogic toolkit for teaching staff will be developed and training will be provided. CULTSENSE will ultimately contribute to a better relationship between residents and travellers, even in crowded places.

Specific Objectives (O):

O1. Design a holistic methodological approach that contributes to fostering transversal skills, in particular social and civic engagement, intercultural awareness and cultural literacy;

O2. Creating tools to improve the level of intercultural competences and skills of TLC students, through a strong cooperation between different European programmes with large networks within HEI’s and tourism, leisure and culture industries;

O3. Fostering innovation in teaching materials related to intercultural awareness, enhanced by transnational cooperation between HEI’s providers (partner organizations) and other stakeholders (associate partners);

04. Stimulating and disseminating good practices related to the use and awareness of the tools and methodological approach through open access channels, and across a range of relevant networks, related to TLC.

4. Target groups
This project has two direct target groups: the first, TLC students in the partner countries (Block of Tasks – B1). The second is the teaching staff of the partner organisations, for whom training will be provided (B3). This training is based on the holistic methodological approach developed in B1 and will aim at supporting and stimulating knowledge exchange and dissemination in different points of Europe so as to reinforce the scope, impact and spillovers of the project (B4).

5. Results
The project will have a large scope and contribute to a long-term changing situation aiming at changing the awareness and attitudes of young people, focusing on TLC students, regarding the cultures and places they visit, promoting more understanding, respect and real intercultural dialogue. The results of the project Include production of fourteen intellectual Outputs (IOs), as well as activities linked to Project Management, Multiplier Events and Quality and Evaluation. Through the development of methodological and pedagogical to

Project Website

http://www.cultsense.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 430241 Eur

Project Coordinator

ERASMUS UNIVERSITEIT ROTTERDAM & Country: NL

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITATEA LUCIAN BLAGA DIN SIBIU
• UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA
• AB YRKESHOGSKOLAN VID ABO AKADEMI
• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE VIANA DE CASTELO