Monday, 26 October 2009
A Turkish cultural project won the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the category of education, training and awareness-raising.
Istanbul-based Cultural Awareness Foundation won the award with its "Culture Ants" project, which began in 2002 to increase awareness of primary school students for cultural heritage and raised some 5 thousand children.
The award ceremony took place at Istanbul's Hagia Eirene.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Turkish State Minister & Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said, "Turkey's EU negotiation process has three dimensions. These dimensions are reforms, accession negotiations and civil society dialogue. We need to raise young people to introduce Turkish culture both in Turkish and European societies."
Europa Nostra Secretary-General Seneska Quaedvlieg Mihailovic said that they received 138 applications from 24 countries for this year's awards in four categories. He said that the jury attached great importance to the "Culture Ants" project since it was an exemplary education model to create an awareness among teenagers about cultural heritage of their country. He said that the project could also be implemented in multi-cultural societies of Europe.
The project chosen as one of the most outstanding examples of heritage protection,will receive a monetary reward of 10,000 euro.
The aim of the Europa Nostra Awards is to promote high standards and high-quality skills in conservation practice and to stimulate trans-border exchanges in the area of heritage. By spreading the "Power of Example", the Awards also aims to encourage further efforts and projects related to heritage protection throughout Europe.
