About THERRA Kick-Off Meeting in Iseo, June 2026

We are happy to announce that THERRA (Traditions and Heritage in Europe, fostering Roots in Rural Areas) – a project part of the EU CERV programme – officially started at the beginning of June 2026, coinciding with the 12th edition of the European Lakes Festival in Iseo, an occasion to celebrate the lasting cooperation between rural lake municipalities part of nEUlakes. The kick-off meeting brought together representatives from the four participating towns of Iseo, Skradin (Croatia), Keszthely (Hungary), Trakai (Lithuania) to plan a year-long commitment to citizen engagement around European democracy and local identities. The meeting was organized and moderated by nEUlakes and saw the participation of local authorities, including the Mayor of Iseo, Riccardo Venchiarutti.

During kick-off, partners reviewed the project’s main documents, roles and responsibilities, from the grant agreement to the internal consortium rules, as well as the overall calendar of activities running until next year. Particular attention was given to communication, dissemination, financial reporting rules and the shared target of reaching a wide and diverse audience of EU citizens across all four territories. The session confirmed the common ambition to use lakes as spaces where people can exchange views and reflect on the future of Europe.

THERRA will unfold through a series of transnational events hosted in each partner municipality between June 2026 and May 2027. Following the launch, the first public initiative was “Our Lake, Our Voice”, held at “IIS Antonietti” the public high school in Iseo. The lab was centered around a dialogue between local middle-schoolers (12-13 years old) and high-schoolers (17-18) exploring how democracy works in the everyday life of teenagers, and how young people can participate as active citizens in Europe. Through structured peer dialogue and creative group work, students compared their experiences and expectations about themes such as democracy, justice, freedom, citizenship, and power. Their recorded reflections will then provide input for the wider project’s narrative and materials.

In September 2026, Skradin (Croatia) will host “Solidarity Recipe Book”, a cross-border culinary event that uses cooking and traditional recipes to encourage intergenerational and intercultural dialogue on solidarity among citizens. The stories, recipes and testimonies collected during this encounter will be edited into a digital cookbook, the “Solidarity Recipe Book”, which will be made available online and contribute to the project’s travelling exhibition. Next stop will be in Keszthely (Hungary) in May 2027 with the main inclusion-focused event “Heritage and Inclusion”, aimed at creating safe spaces for people of different ages and backgrounds to discuss belonging, memory and European identity through local cultural heritage.

The project will conclude in Trakai (Lithuania) in June 2027 during the Trakai Summer Festival, with a political event titled “Lakes for Europe” focused on the adoption of a shared manifesto, setting out guidelines for long-term cooperation between European lake municipalities. This closing meeting will combine public debate, visibility actions and the inauguration of the touring exhibition, ensuring that the results of THERRA remain available as a resource for other European towns.