Democracy as Living Heritage: Connecting participation, culture and community

Democracy is shaped in everyday life, in how people meet, exchange and take part in shared decisions. The project Democracy as Living Heritage, developed by DutchCulture in partnership with the European Cultural Foundation, works from this premise, focusing on how democratic practice is experienced and passed on through culture.

Supported under the Faro Implementation Agenda, the project brings together heritage institutions, libraries and young people across Europe. It focuses on those aged 16 to 30, a group whose engagement with democracy is still forming. By connecting heritage work with libraries as civic spaces, the project creates opportunities for young people to engage with democratic values in ways that are tangible, local and shared.

This approach places participation at the centre. Libraries act as spaces where people gather, debate and reflect, while heritage practices offer ways to connect past and present experiences of democracy. Through this collaboration, the project contributes to a broader understanding of democracy as a lived, collective practice shaped by people and communities across Europe.

Image: DutchCulture