Project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union

My Soft City: From Flâneur to Entrepreneur is a project that aims at bettering cities’ youth dimension. In our quest to preserve cultural heritage by helping youth to become more fond of their patrimony we came to the conclusion that cities which are more youth-friendly have more chances to develop as united and proactive communities. This project offers youth a voice in what concerns their city’s cultural heritage and encourages them to become cultural and social entrepreneurs themselves by exposing them to such an environment that fosters educational, cultural and urban growth. By creating in the project framework, a book about real, successful stories of social and cultural entrepreneurs from the partner countries, we offer youth the motivation and inspiration they need to become change-makers themselves.

The project wishes to create an illustrated map of the soft city seen by youth aged 16-22. In order to give the younger a voice about the strengths and weaknesses of their city and also to make their communities more youth-friendly and more innovative we will let youth draw their own buildings, places and streets that portray the real city. Youth will work closely to experts who will guide and support them.

The subtitle, From Flaneur to Entrepreneur, reflects the fact that a passer-by can become a change-maker in their community through proactivity and an entrepreneurial spirit. While in the 19th century, the flâneur was a stroller , observing and enjoying the architecture and atmosphere of the streets of Paris, we invite youth to become from observers into active actors of the social and cultural urban sphere. The subtitle also emphasizes the fact the the project aims to combine the old and the classic with the new and the innovative: the digitalization and gamification of cultural heritage by young people which further aims at preserving and promoting the urban patrimony of Europe.

The main aim of the project is: Foster employability and social inclusion and cohesion through an educational, participatory, inclusive and intercultural approach to European Cultural Heritage.