Second EMY partner meeting in Innsbruck and the Ötztal valley
- 12.11.2025
- Research
The project partners: the municipalities of Maniago and Montebelluna, Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari and FH Kufstein Tirol (Emily Kirchlechner, MA, third from left, and Prof. (FH) Dr Verena Teissl, fifth from left).
In mid-October, the second partner meeting of the Interreg Italy-Austria EMY project took place at the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and the Ötztal Museums. The aim of the two-day event was to generate new ideas for actively involving young people in museums, both locally and across borders.
The EMY project (ITAT-46-013) brings together partners from the Italian regions of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Tyrol to work together on enhancing cultural resources and safeguarding cultural heritage, with a focus on Generation Z. Following an informative kick-off meeting in Maniago (IT) in April, the second meeting was held in Innsbruck. Initiated by the Italian municipality of Maniago, the project involves the Tyrolean partner museums (Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and Ötztal Local History Museum), the Museum of Blacksmithing and Cutlery in Maniago, the Natural History and Archaeological Museum in Montebelluna, Italy, the aiku - Arte Impresa Cultura research centre of the Fondazione Università Ca' Foscari in Venice and the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol.
The second partner meeting was also attended by representatives of the Cultural Department of the Province of Tyrol, led by Melanie Wiener and museum coordinator Johanna Böhm, as well as the Lebensraum Tirol group, represented by Hanna Dressler. Initial research findings from interviews with museums in Tyrol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia were presented, and further strategies were discussed in moderated workshops.
CONNECTING GENERATIONS AND SUPPORTING THE COMMITMENT OF GENERATION Z
How cultural transmission between generations and the integration of Generation Z can be achieved was one of the central themes of the first surveys conducted as part of the EMY project by the Fondazione Università Ca' Foscari Venice and the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol. The project partners identified various best practice examples – such as the Tyrolean State Museum's Schoolgirls Guide Schoolgirls initiative, which offers young people the opportunity to actively participate in museum operations and take on responsibility.
The Italian partner museums are pursuing similar approaches to involving younger generations, for example by setting up a youth council to support the design and further development of the museums.
Excursion to the Ötztal Local History Museum.
Museums increasingly see themselves as cultural service providers that address current issues in a region and work on them together with the local population, as Edith Hessenberger, director of the Ötztal Museums, emphasises. Digital formats help to overcome physical distances, while co-creative projects such as the Ötztal dialect dictionary are very well received and underline the participatory nature of museum work.
At the same time, the institutions face the challenge of implementing these diverse offerings with limited human and financial resources, which makes the sustainable further development of such formats difficult.
INTERREGIONAL COOPERATION
The EU's regional policy aims to promote cooperation, inspiration and innovation in tackling common challenges. At EMY, regions with different conditions and correspondingly different levels of knowledge work together in an enriching way. The common challenges relate to shaping relationships with Gen Z, developing related innovations, and enhancing the value of museums for partners in business and tourism in the form of cross-sector strategic cooperation. ‘By pooling our expertise, we can achieve our goals more effectively. We learn from our different approaches,’ says Prof. (FH) Dr Verena Teissl, FH Kufstein Tirol.
OUTLOOK
Upcoming activities include modules on knowledge transfer in Italy and Tyrol, as well as a cross-border learning experience in the summer of 2026. The latter will give pupils a wide range of opportunities to actively explore the partner museums and develop their own approaches based on their own experiences.
Links:
- Interreg Italia-Österreich Project EMY | Research Project
- Project launch for EMY: Cultural offerings intended to engage Gen Z | News
