The need • The vast majority of the populations of Lebanon and Jordan are under the age of 30 and face endemic unemployment. • Young people in Lebanon and Jordan are characterised by a pervasive lack of hope due to degradation of their national and local cultural identities. This degradation is due in Lebanon to widespread emigration and localised, prolonged conflict, while in Jordan it is the result of instability and shifts in cultural demographic that put different cultures into conflict, rather than recognising their interrelation and richness. • The experience of youth in both countries also reflects the lack of opportunities for sharing of cultural traditions across generations and for documenting, whether through oral histories or apprenticeships, the experience of previous generations in a rapidly changing environment. • Along with political uncertainty, the countries’ diverse populations face the threat of negative, monolithic characterisations of their people that a strong cultural identity and promotion of cultural heritage could serve to counter. The response: Mercy Corps will engage young people in Lebanon and Jordan to address three specific challenges to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage: 1) Lack of capacity of national museums and other cultural heritage sites to engage both youth and the wider populations. 2) Lack of resources for educators and students to engage with cultural heritage sites and institutions as learning environments 3) Lack of involvement of local cultural heritage institutions and communities in defining how cultural heritage is documented and presented. Expected results: The programme’s specific objective is to build pride and knowledge among youth and children through promoting increased accessibility to and sharing of cultural heritage. The programme will breathe new life into cultural traditions by exposing youth, educators, and classroom students to a living heritage of which they can be proud, while also building the capacity of cultural institutions that will sustain outreach and excitement about these efforts. To do this, it will deliver the following: • 120 young people (60 in Lebanon and 60 in Jordan) will capture and present their communities’ cultural heritage through community outreach and awareness-raising using interactive multimedia presentations. • The participating young people work to engage youth online • Travelling youth projects displayed in at least 8 communities outside the capital cities • Interactive cultural heritage website links Beirut National Museum and Jordan Museum, providing interactive tools for youth. • Multi-lingual cultural heritage toolkit available online for educators, local NGOs and online visitors • 500 schools and youth clubs reached through media and youth-led outreach. • 2 annual National Heritage Festivals showcase living culture of artisans, musicians and performers • 50 national museums and heritage sites in Lebanon and Jordan will become hubs for education, celebration of cultural heritage and knowledge dissemination. • An estimated 24,000 visitors to museums and heritage sites over 2 years • An estimated 30,000 visitors to interactive websites. Funding The European Commission has committed €902,123 of the total budget for this project, conditional on Mercy Corps securing the remaining €225,531.