Cita Rīga’s Initiative ‘Co-creating Urban Heritage with Children’
Since 2014, the NGO Cita Rīga has developed a sustained educational practice that invites children and young people to explore the urban heritage of Riga through play and investigation. The initiative works with participants aged 7 to 17 and approaches heritage as a living story to be discovered directly in the city itself.
Each year around 2,500 children take part in activities designed around specific neighbourhoods, buildings or historical episodes. More than 30 thematic programmes have been developed to date. Before creating each activity, the team conducts research in archives and libraries and consults historians and museum professionals. Historic maps, photographs and documents are translated into tasks that allow children to investigate and interpret the past for themselves.
A key element of the programme is the use of “experimental history”. The children reconstruct events, objects or techniques to examine how historical accounts might have worked in reality. For instance, the children built a wooden model of a church to investigate the story that milk had been used to extinguish a fire. In another case, they constructed small sailing boats to simulate trade along the Daugava River and explore the economic development of Riga through practical experimentation. Other projects use games and playful activities to study medieval fortifications, industrial districts and the history of Jewish neighbourhoods, often using historic maps to navigate present-day streets.
Approximately 80% of the activities take place outdoors in public spaces across Riga. The city itself becomes a working classroom. The remaining sessions are organised in schools, libraries and community centres. The programme is free-of-charge and designed to remain accessible. Materials are simple, reusable and low-cost.
Participation often extends over several years. Around 20% of former participants return as volunteers or junior facilitators, assisting groups and contributing to the design of new activities. This continuity has shaped the initiative into a long-term grassroots educational environment rather than a series of isolated workshops.
The initiative operates with an average annual budget of approximately €25,000, supported primarily by municipal funding, small donations and self-generated income. As the activities rely on simple materials, local research and public space, the model is inexpensive and easily adaptable to other cities across Europe. The initiative has already been presented internationally as a model for engaging children with urban heritage.
The Awards’ Jury remarked: “The Cita Rīga initiative presents an innovative way of engaging communities and strengthening children’s attachment to a place. Through play and investigation, children develop active learning and critical thinking about urban heritage. Its long-term impact is evident in the number of participants who later return as volunteers.”
Contact: Inese Grandāne | NGO Cita Rīga | inese@citariga.lv | www.facebook.com/CitaRiga