Management Organization of Trakia Tourism Region (MOTTR) successfully completed the project “See and Hear” under the Erasmus+ Program – Key Action 2 with a duration of 18 months.

The leading partner of the project was the Courage Foundation. Partners: MOTTR, Association for Tourism Promotion, Edirne and Youth Council, Skopje, North Macedonia.

The project “SEE Places HEAR Stories” promotes dialogue between generations, preserves and disseminates the common values and history of Europe. Its idea was to explore the common cultural roots among the participating countries – customs, cultural and historical landmarks. We created routes with symbolic value for history and culture through the stories of the project participants. We conducted training activities where similarities in the stories of partners were identified, and project participants presented their stories.

The project aimed to promote dialogue between generations and participants from different countries. It involved both young people (18+) and adults who, on one hand, have limited knowledge of Erasmus+, and at the same time, are witnesses to the latest history of Europe and a valuable source of information for the new generations. Representatives from the municipalities of Maritsa, Dimitrovgrad, Brezovo, and Stara Zagora were involved, as well as the Ancient Plovdiv Municipal Institute, Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv, University of agribusiness and rural development, University of Food Technologies, Plovdiv, Hebrus Bus, and others.

Activities included:

Three international project management meetings: Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Turkey, and three international trainings for participants who were tasked with sharing their stories to be recorded and disseminated, as well as exchanging experiences with international partners. Four participants from each partner – Plovdiv, Thracian Tourist Region, Skopje, and Edirne, were involved in each training. We filmed video materials with stories from young and old participants at selected historical sites with personal histories told by the participants. We prepared and distributed printed promotional materials for national and international dissemination. Project results:

We created 3 videos. An international route: Plovdiv – Stara Zagora – Skopje – Edirne. The first brochure of a tourist region in Bulgaria has been printed. In partnership with BNT, 4 reports were filmed and broadcasted in the programs “Bulgaria in 60 minutes” and “10,000 steps”, reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers through national media.

Our publications about experiences along the routes in the three countries and the videos reached tens of thousands on our social networks and those of our partners.

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