Museum on wheels

Project facts

Project promoter:
Lithuanian educational history museum(LT)
Project Number:
LT-CULTURE-0013
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€183,445
Donor Project Partners:
Newschool AS(NO)
Other Project Partners
JTC "Indeform"(LT)
Programme:

Description

The aim of the project is to provide high quality cultural education to young people in remote areas of Lithuania, promoting the availability of cultural and educational activities.
It is planned:
• To create a traveling innovative exposition (traveling bus “Museum on Wheels”) based on the collection of the Lithuanian Museum of Educational History. The mobile exposition will be able to reach the places of Lithuania remote from the cultural centers. The educational activities supplementing the exposition will increase its cultural and historical value;
• Visit 200 settlements in all regions of Lithuania, paying more attention to counties where there are currently no operating museums: Šalčininkai, Alytus, Kalvarija, Kazlų Rūda, Pakruojis and Visaginas;
• Involve over 4,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 29 in the project activities - pupils and students from schools, colleges and other educational institutions.Project benefit:
During the project, the Travelling Museum Bus will be created to operate in small, remote areas of Lithuanian regions where there is a lack of cultural activities, no museums. In the mobile exhibition, local children and young people will be attractively acquainted with the history of education, which emphasizes the multinational heritage of Lithuania, viewed from different perspectives - social and ethnic groups, cultures and gender equality.
In cooperation with the project partners „Newschool“ from Norway and the software company PLLC „Indeform“ (Lithuania), an innovative, visually attractive and easy-to-use educational program will be created to enrich the knowledge of Lithuanian history and educational history.
The team of educational guides trained during the project will invite children and young people to participate in educational activities that allow not only to gain deeper knowledge, but also to understand their educational experience as part of the historical process, to communicate and learn from the older generation.

Summary of project results

One of the main challenges was the continuous closure of schools in rural regions of Lithuania, especially in smaller towns and villages. As a result, there were fewer young people with whom the project could directly engage. These closures also reflected a deepening social and educational divide, which the project sought to address. The mobile museum bus exhibition was tasked with reaching the most remote areas of Lithuania, where infrastructure is often poor. These rural areas are scattered over large distances, making the logistical aspect of the project particularly challenging. The project set ambitious goals - not only to present the history of education to young people but also to include various social groups, strengthen intergenerational dialogue, encourage community engagement, and present history from a multicultural perspective. This required significant resources and long-term collaboration with local institutions and international partners.

Museum on Wheels successfully brought the history of education to remote rural areas of Lithuania, with a particular focus on young people. Throughout the initiative, a bus equipped with a travelling exhibition and educational program toured various towns and villages across the country.

The project featured a mobile exhibition designed specifically to reach small settlements and remote areas of Lithuania, which often lack access to cultural activities, particularly museums. This exhibition provided local youth with an inclusive narrative of the history of education, highlighting the multinational heritage of Lithuania from diverse perspectives, including different social and ethnic groups, cultures, and genders.

Innovative educational activities were developed in collaboration with Newschool (Norway) to deepen the participants'' understanding of Lithuanian history and the history of education in the country. These activities encouraged visitors to connect the historical content with their local microhistory and personal educational experiences, fostering an appreciation for their local educational heritage. Furthermore, the partnership with the leading software company Indeform Ltd. allowed the technological aspects of the exhibition to be visually engaging and user-friendly.

A team of trained educators guided young people through participatory learning activities, allowing visitors to gain a deeper understanding of Lithuanian history and the development of education in the country. These activities also prompted visitors to see their own educational experiences as part of a broader historical process. The project successfully connected younger and older generations by collecting, reevaluating, and sharing their experiences and knowledge.

Although the project primarily focused on youth, it also benefited other community members, including teachers and parents, and actively engaged local stakeholders.

During the implementation of the project "Museum on Wheels", Lithuanian Education Museum achieved a range of impactful outcomes, benefitting multiple groups within Lithuanian society. Project successfully engaged 6299 young people in remote rural areas, offering them a deeper understanding of the history of education in Lithuania. The mobile exhibition and interactive activities inspired participants to view education as a dynamic, evolving process shaped by different social, ethnic, and gender perspectives. Many young visitors gained a stronger sense of belonging to their educational heritage, linking national history with their own experiences. At the same time, project brought much-needed cultural activities to 202 rural regions of Lithuania that are typically deprived of access to museums and other cultural institutions. By doing so, it helped to decrease the cultural gap between urban and rural areas. The project enriched the cultural lives of residents in these remote areas, fostering a deeper connection to Lithuanian heritage and improving the cultural literacy of local youth.

Summary of bilateral results

During the project, a bus was purchased, which was adapted for the mobile "Museum on Wheels" activities. It was equipped with special equipment and presented a interactive exhibition "The history of Lithuanian education" specially designed for small settlements and remote areas of Lithuania, where there are often no opportunities to participate in cultural activities, especially in museums. This interactive educational exhibition provided local youth with an inclusive narrative of the history of education, highlighting the multi-ethnic heritage of Lithuania from various perspectives, including different social and ethnic groups, cultures and genders. In cooperation with "Newschool" (Norway), innovative educational activities were created, aimed at deepening the participants'' understanding of the history of Lithuania and the country''s educational history. Partnership with leading software company Indeform Ltd. (Lithuania) enabled the technological aspects of the exhibition to be visually appealing and user-friendly. Project successfully engaged 6299 young people in remote rural areas, offering them a deeper understanding of the history of education in Lithuania. The mobile exhibition and interactive activities inspired participants to view education as a dynamic, evolving process shaped by different social, ethnic, and gender perspectives. Many young visitors gained a stronger sense of belonging to their educational heritage, linking national history with their own experiences. Dissemination of the project results will be carried out by participating in the KULTUROS PASAS (CULTURE PASSPORT) program in Lithuania.Cooperation with the Norwegian partner in the future is not foreseen, because the partner in 2023 announced the start of the liquidation process.

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.