Actual society is rapidly changing, urban areas are becoming more widespread. Consum technology is incorporated at a rapid pace and at younger ages. Social networks are creating a virtual reality context where every novelty is quickly adopted, becomes tendency and is generalized. At the same time, economic globalization, world markets, multinational firms, transnational workers and regional crisis and integration are promoting a framework where people is expected to move more frequently from their birthplaces to different locations.

We think this globalized urban and technological environment is really positive because it helps people to communicate and to relate to each other in a richer and diverse way, increasing the options and possibilities to develop and promote at individual and community level. But it also involves some risks: homogeneous user profiles, conflicts, ghettos, inequalities, whole communities set aside the
economic and social development, etc.

To succeed in this new situation it is important to know how to communicate with each other in a multicultural context, how to relate with people from other cultures, other countries, other communities, with different languages, religions, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. And the first step in this direction is to know what defines the identity of people, at individual and community level; what defines our own identity.

But identity is a complex concept with different elements and perspectives. In this project we want to specifically focus on those elements that, nowadays are not so frequently addressed by our modern way of life: nature and cultural heritage.
Nature is something that is always taken for granted, we are really familiar with it when we are kids but it usually fades away as we grow up and new interests fill our life: friends, technologies, sports, works,... This lack of consideration toward the environment and natural spaces is reflected in the global problems we face today: climate change and global warming, biodiversity loss, soil and water
pollution, fires, desertification, ...

We need to take action and to be aware of the importance of Nature is a key element in the process of solving those problems. Also, the lack of contact with Nature is starting to be considered as part of the behavioral problems our kids suffer today. Nature deficit disorder, expression used in Richard Louv’s 2005 book “Last Child in the Woods”, draw attention to the less time we spend outdoors,
deriving some consequences on our own adult behavior and, of course, our children’s.

Cultural heritage is also needed of attention. We are usually focused on the great landmarks of culture and heritage: famous monuments, great pictures and sculptures, well-known buildings... In this project we intend to valorize all those cultural, material and non material resources at local level that, not being milestones of civilization, also help us to explain who we are, our history and our
idiosyncrasy.