Space for the new generation!

Building the future of remembrance and heritage together

The Nationaal Onderduikmuseum is participating in an international project in which young people, heritage professionals, volunteers, artists, and researchers from various European countries work together. Together, we are exploring how museums, remembrance centers, and heritage organizations can remain meaningful, accessible, and relevant for new generations.

The Space for New Generations project is an international initiative focusing on heritage connected to war, conflict, oppression, remembrance, and social division. Throughout Europe, organizations are grappling with similar questions:
• How do we involve young people in a way that is truly meaningful?
• How do we provide space for different perspectives and stories?
• How can heritage help us better understand current social issues?

Instead of developing programs for young people, with Space for New Generations we work with young people as equal partners. Their ideas, experiences, and insights are indispensable in shaping the future of heritage and remembrance.

Co-Creation

The project is based on co-creation, shared ownership, and mutual learning. Young people do not participate as an audience or advisory group, but as co-developers and partners throughout the entire process. Their perspectives help shape not only the content of heritage projects but also the way organizations collaborate with their surroundings.

At the same time, professionals and volunteers within the participating organizations also undergo a learning process themselves. They explore questions regarding participation, inclusion, dialogue, agency, and organizational change.

The project therefore operates on two levels:
• Supporting young people in developing their ideas, perspectives, and involvement.
• Supporting organizations in creating space for genuine participation and joint decision-making.

An international learning community

Participants from countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Romania together form this international learning community. During international and local meetings and exchanges, they share experiences, explore different cultures of remembrance, and discuss current social issues.

Central themes include:
• Memory and remembrance
• Multiple perspectives and contested histories
• Identity, belonging, and community
• Democracy and active citizenship
• The role of heritage in today’s society
The international meetings provide space for encounter, reflection, and experimentation. Attention is also given to the fact that heritage surrounding war, conflict, and exclusion often evokes strong emotions and diverse viewpoints.

Local meetings

Alongside the international program, all partner organizations are also developing local pilot projects together with young people from their own communities. These projects serve as testing grounds for new forms of collaboration, participation, and storytelling.

At the Nationaal Onderduikmuseum, this local meeting will take place in the autumn.
Together with the young people and heritage organizations, we are exploring how stories, remembrance practices, and working methods can become more inclusive, relevant, and future-proof.

The project is carried out in collaboration with:
• Act!On (Netherlands) – initiator and project coordinator
• Nationaal Onderduikmuseum Aalten (Netherlands)
• Bosansko narodno pozorište Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Muzeul Județean de Istorie și Arheologie Maramureș, Baia Mare (Romania)
• NS-Dokumentationszentrum München (Germany)

Roadmap

A key final result of Space for New Generations is the development of a Roadmap for Co-creation. This practical guide bundles the experiences, methodologies, insights, and tools developed during the project. The roadmap is intended for museums, remembrance centers, archives, and heritage organizations that want to strengthen their collaboration with young people.
Heritage is not just about understanding the past. It is also about the question of how we shape the future together.