Article
The project ‘Young Leaders of the Diquís’ concludes with the creation of a youth association
Young people from southern Costa Rica have formed a youth association to take part in the management of the preColumbian cacique settlements with stone spheres of the Diquís inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2014 The creation of this association has been formalized during the closing ceremony of the project Young Leaders of the Diquis which has been implemented by UNESCO and the National Museum of Costa Rica and financed by the World Heritage Fund thanks to a financial contribution from Germany The formation of this association is a remarkable result of this project whose objective has been to involve young people from neighboring communities including indigenous peoples and territories in the management of the four archaeological sites inscribed on the World Heritage List Finca 6 El Silencio Grijalba and Batambal located in the canton of Osa in southern Costa Rica To this end a series of workshops have been organized focused on strengthening knowledge about cultural heritage as well as strengthening soft skills to enhance the leadership capacity of the young participants In total more than 160 young men and women from the districts of Palmar Ciudad Cortes Sierpe Bahia Ballena Drake Bay and Piedras Blancas as well as from the indigenous territories of Boruca and Rey Curré have been involved In addition to gaining knowledge and skills in heritage management through the workshops this project has allowed them to generate youth networks carry out volunteer activities and participate in various initiatives of the National Museum of Costa Rica in the area The closing ceremony of the project took place on Saturday December 18 2021 with the participation of Mr Julio Carranza Director ai of UNESCO Cluster Office in San Jose Mrs Martina NibbelingWriessnig Ambassador of Germany in Costa Rica Mrs Rocío Fernández Director of the National Museum of Costa Rica Mrs Yanina Chaverri Vice Mayor of the Canton of Osa Mr Jeison Ariel Bartels Quirós General Coordinator of the project as well as young participants of the project and members of the benefited communities