During the last decades conservation of cultural heritage – including documentation, research and practice - has undergone impressive developments. However, there is still a lack of awareness of it and of the importance of its conservation by the general public, including in the Mediterranean countries.The lack of awareness is causing that cultural heritage and its conservation are not always appreciated and that it does not always get sufficient attention and budgets.

The objective of the ELAICH project is to increase awareness of the importance of cultural heritage and its conservation by particular target groups within the general public, such as youth, with a focus on built heritage. It will explain the essence of cultural heritage and the necessity to preserve it. It will create an educational tool with a multi-modal interface through which a group of high level conservation scientists, with expertise in both research and education of conservation of cultural heritage from various disciplines will expose the general public to the modern principles of the preservation of cultural heritage. The main expected impact of the project will be that the public, above all youth, visit the cultural sites and participate in activities promoting tangible and non-tangible heritage and thereby appropriate their own heritage.

The project will be carried out by four universities of the Mediterranean, specialised in different disciplines in the field of cultural heritage.

• To strengthen and consolidate mutual understanding and dialogue between cultures by the promotion of Mediterranean cultural heritage and public awareness-raising
• To contribute to awareness-raising in the Mediterranean partner Countries in particular to the importance of cultural heritage and its diversity and to encourage the accessibility to and the knowledge of cultural heritage

• Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium)
  http://www.ua.ac.be
• Université Technique Nationale d'Athènes (Greece)
  http://www.ntua.gr
• University of Malta (Malta)
  http://www.um.edu.mt
• Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Italy)
  http://www.unive.it

• Archaeology
• Conservation & Rehabilitation
• Cultural Tourism
• Research/Education & Training

• Documented educational approach as part of a toolkit for educating the general public in cultural heritage issues. A vademecum ("manual") in various languages with this approach will be published in order to facilitate transferability
• ELAICH courseware about specific sites in Israel, Turkey, Italy, Egypt, Jordan, Malta and Greece
• Three "long" courses in Israel, Greece and Malta, respectively for 15-20 students per course
• Six "short" courses in Israel, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, respectively for 15-20 students per course
• Project website
• Promotional and educational activities through publications, dissemination strategies and other cultural productions in various languages
• Innovative approach of preserving and promoting tangible cultural heritage (exhibitions, tours, events etc.)

		Interview with Prof. Anna Lobovikov-Katz, ELAICH project To increase the awareness of the importance of cultural heritage and its conservation by the general public, and young people in particular, is extremely important. Elaich project will explain the essence of cultural heritage and the necessity to preserve it by the creation of an educational tool that will expose the general public to the modern principles of the preservation of cultural heritage.