European rural areas embody outstanding examples of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH) that need not only to be safeguarded, but also promoted as a driver for competitiveness, sustainable and inclusive growth and development. RURITAGE establishes a new heritage-led rural regeneration paradigm able to turn rural areas in sustainable development demonstration laboratories, through the enhancement of their unique CNH potential. RURITAGE has identified 6 Systemic Innovation Areas (pilgrimages; sustainable local food production; migration; art and festivals; resilience; and integrated landscape management) which, integrated with cross-cutting themes, showcase heritage potential as a powerful engine for economic, social and environmental development of rural areas. The knowledge built in 14 Role Models (RMs) and digested within the project, will be transferred to 6 Replicators (Rs) across Europe. Through a multilevel and multidirectional process of knowledge transfer, RMs will mentor and support the Replicators in the development and implementation of their strategies and, at the same time, will further increase their knowledge and capacities. A robust monitoring system will assist this process. Local Rural Heritage Hubs, gathering stakeholders and civil society, will be settled in Rs to work as living labs where heritage-led rural regeneration strategies will be co-created and implemented, while in RMs they will reinforce the ownership of CNH. Both RMs and Rs will also benefit of the RURITAGE Resources Ecosystem, a set of tools including, among others, a rural landscape mapping tool (RURITAGE Atlas) and a Replication Toolbox within an online and interoperable platform. These tools will foster knowledge building, providing evidence and supporting replication and up-scaling activities of the implemented heritage-led regeneration strategies and plans, contributing to mainstream heritage in Regional, National, European and global policies.

The cities of Mureck, Gornja Radgona and Bad Radkersburg are situated at the frontier between Slovenia and Austria. Although there is just a river separating the two countries, there is still little contact between the citizens of both sides. In the past, there have been several attempts of young people and the actors in youth work to strengthen the better living together and the relationships between youth. The project is the first bigger an coordinated youth project in the frontier region and aims to make the rural frontier region attractive to young people. In a one year process and within 6 meetings young partcipants of 7 municipalities by the border between Austria and Slovenia will create a youth map to make visible all places, that are important to young people themselves as well as offers in areas of education, labour market, leisure time etc. In addition there will be created a digital youth map and a project homepage. The process will be accompanied by a young radio team that documents all the project steps.Apart from the project team, composed by the youth center Mureck, the youth center Gornja Radgona and the Regionales Jugendmanagement Südoststeiermark (6 Persons) we expect at least 30 young participants from the 7 participating municipalities (Bad Radkersburg, Halbenrain, Deutsch Goritz, Mureck, Apace, Radenci, Gornja Radgona). The project team members are trained persons in youth and social work, method skills and project management. With adequate methods the team will accompany the young participants to create ideas, a concept an a concrete draft of the youth map. With a public presentation we will appreciate the engagement of the young participants. All meetings will be complemented by an attractive programm for the youth.The results will be: - 6000 printed youth maps that will be distributed to about 5500 young persons between 12 and 30 years in the frontier region, as well as to schools, associations and relevant stakeholders- Big maps that are located in visible places in the participating municipalities- Digital map an project homepage- Radio podcasts about the projectAs an impact of the project the young participats gainede experience in project management, entrepreneurship, language skill, interculturality and democratic conciousness. For the target groups there will be an increase of the visibility of the attractiveness of their own region as well as their possibilities. This will help to combat emigration from this rural area in a long term. For the partcipating organizations the project helps to build networks and exchange good practice. In a long term, the project creates the basis for several possible follow up initiatives to make the rural frontier area worth living for young people.