“Objects with a Voice”: A Three-Day workshop hosted at the premises of the Athens Heritage Hub
As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting youth engagement in the Balkans and promoting cultural heritage as a living, participatory process, the Athens Heritage Hub hosted, at the offices of ELLINIKI ETAIRIA – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage in Plaka, Athens, the three-day experiential workshop “Objects with a Voice: Small Stories, Great Heritage”, from October 3 to 5, 2025.
The event was organized by the NGO Balkan Youth Cooperation and the UNESCO Chair on Threats to Cultural Heritage of the Ionian University. It focused on women’s intangible cultural heritage, as reflected in ordinary, everyday objects that carry emotional and historical value and are passed down from generation to generation. The workshop brought together young participants from across the Balkans to explore how personal stories, memory, and material culture intersect in the preservation of shared heritage.
The first day featured an introduction by Athina Fatsea, who framed the conceptual and historical significance of objects as carriers of intangible cultural heritage. On the second day, Ania Korneva led an experiential workshop on memory, emotion, and materiality, encouraging participants to engage creatively and personally with the objects they brought. The third day concluded with a storytelling seminar guided by Angeliki Kosmopoulou, acting as story mentor, helping participants shape and share their personal narratives.
Activities included oral history techniques, storytelling practices, and the exchange of personal stories linked to heritage items, with the aim of connecting the past to the present through lived experience. The workshop created a safe, inspiring space for dialogue on gender, heritage, and intergenerational memory, while promoting intercultural understanding among young people in the region.
