On Wednesday morning, 14th, the Interpretation Centre of the Romanesque in Lousada hosted the inaugural meeting of the artistic and cultural programme ‘Heritage Carers — Courage to Care’.

Aimed at secondary school students in the territory of the Route of the Romanesque, the programme is part of the Bienal Cultura Educação #2, organised by the National Arts Plan.

The meeting was attended by many of those who will be the protagonists of the project: students, teachers, heritage carers, parish priests, representatives of the municipalities and the local community.

In addition to the director of the Route of the Romanesque, Rosário Correia Machado, the intermunicipal coordinator of the National Arts Plan, Susana Cabeleira, the councillors of the Municipal Councils of Felgueiras and Paredes, Ana Medeiros and Beatriz Meireles, the carer of the Church of Boelhe, Manuel Dias, the assistant teacher at the Resende Secondary School, Paulo Sequeira, and the students of the Paredes Secondary School, Matilde Rocha and Maria João Silva.

The second edition of the Culture Education Biennial, which runs until next March, has as its cross-cutting theme ‘And Instead of Fear?’, in a broad reflection on the ways in which we face fear and the paralysis of anguish.

The Route of the Romanesque aims to challenge young people to explore emotions, imagination and collective memory, promoting a closer relationship with heritage and new ways of relating to culture and the territory.

The programme's objectives also include fostering cultural participation, critical thinking and artistic expression, encouraging young people to become protagonists in safeguarding their own history and constructing narratives of belonging.

The programme ‘Heritage Carers — Courage to Care’ includes guided visits to the monuments of the Route of the Romanesque and artistic creation activities, such as the ‘Time Capsule’, which will be kept in the monuments for a period of 20 years and in which young people will leave a message for future caretakers.

There will also be intergenerational meetings between young people and the Heritage Carers of the Route of the Romanesque, i.e. all those citizens who, in a dedicated and unconditional manner, currently care for and cherish the various cultural assets of the Route of the Romanesque.

The National Arts Plan aims to make the arts more accessible to citizens, particularly children and young people, through the educational community, promoting participation, enjoyment and cultural creation, with a view to inclusion and lifelong learning.

It aims to encourage the cultural commitment of communities and organisations and to develop networks of collaboration and partnerships with public and private entities, namely by working in conjunction with pre-existing plans, programmes and networks.