In 2018 the European Year of Cultural Heritage was celebrated throughout Europe. The European Cultural Heritage Summit, organized by Europa Nostra and partners, was the key event of the year. It brought together Europe’s heritage professionals for policy debates, among other events. 

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Erfgoed Brabant and their partners took it upon themselves to organize a four-day programme for young professionals, students and volunteers in heritage. This programme was put together by an intergenerational team of young and established professionals and carried out likewise, which would become the Future is Heritage-concept. 

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The event was held in a few of the most interesting venues, such as the Dutch Embassy, the Bauakademie and the Märkisches Museum. The programme was highly interactive, with a lot of emphasis on exchange and learning. Together we worked towards a covenant, which was made up of a wallpaper that held all our thoughts on what working in European heritage should look like in ten years time. This covenant was signed by Henri Swinkels, Regional Minister Liveability and Culture for the Province of Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands, and presented at the European policy debate on Friday 22 June 2018. The organization of this event laid the foundation for the unique way of working of The Future is Heritage, in which intergenerational exchange and cooperation are at the heart.