EHHUR Horizon Europe EU Project Brings International and National Participants Together in a Workshop in Collaboration with the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative

The World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Initiative, active since 2008 within the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, collaborates with young people and local communities across borders to conserve, present, and promote World Heritage Sites. The “Sustainable Heritage for the Future of Historical Izmir” project of the Izmir Historical Port City Presidency aims to ensure the participation of young volunteers in interpreting and developing their ties with the Historical Port City Izmir. The project includes 7 international and 7 national participants from diverse disciplines. As part of the WHV23-Sustainable Heritage project, the Historical Port City of Izmir Site Management Office collaborated with Horizon Europe Programme, EHHUR (EYES HEARTH HANDS Urban Revolution) Project, Izmir Team (TARKEM, Demir Energy, and IZTECH) to organize a workshop on September 05, 2023. An half-day workshop flow was prepared under the leadership of our professors from the IZTECH team, Prof. Dr. İpek Akpınar, Prof. Dr. Koray Velibeyoğlu, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Durmuş Arsan.

Following an introductory seminar entitled “EHHUR Eyes Hearts Hands – Urban Revolution Project; Lighthouse 5 – İzmir; Innovation, Commercial & Cultural Hub” by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Durmuş Arsan, the workshop started with a tour of the predetermined route together with the guidance of Architect Ahu Sönmez from TARKEM. After this opening, the workshop entitled “Tracing the Unseen: Unveiling Kemeraltı – Izmir Through Creative Mapping” was conducted by the IZTECH graduate students, Res. Assist. Aysu Gürman, PhD Candidate Eylem Keskin and Urban Planner Aleyna Yorulmaz. The workshop aimed to foster creative expression, collaborative storytelling, and a deeper understanding of the relationship between subjective experiences and shared perspectives. It comprised two steps: (1) personal cognitive mapping during a site trip to Kemeraltı and (2) the transformation of individual maps into a collective map. In conclusion, it demonstrated the transformative potential of creative mapping in connecting individuals to heritage sites and celebrating the diversity of perspectives within a group.