The final event of the first training edition of the international project HeritageHunters & Business took place in Viljandi on 7–8 May 2026, bringing together young people from the Avinurme region in Estonia and Imatra in Finland. The focus of the final event of the training program was the presentation of new ideas by young people that value local heritage and seek new and modern uses for it in business.
In recent months, young people in Estonia and Finland have been searching for answers to the question of how to turn local cultural heritage, nature and regional identity into future-oriented business ideas. This is exactly what the international HeritageHunters & Business program focused on, the first training cycle of which ended on 8th of May in Viljandi. The program participants developed new business ideas in the fields of natural and cultural heritage, crafts, community initiatives and creative solutions.
HeritageHunters & Business is an Estonian-Finnish cooperation project that aims to equip young people with the skills to create sustainable business ideas based on local nature and cultural heritage. The four-month entrepreneurship training program was distinguished by its practical and heritage-focused approach. HeritageHunters & Business did not focus only on conventional business skills, but linked them to local natural and cultural heritage, helping young people see the uniqueness of their home region as a potential entrepreneurial resource. The participating young people went through a development process with their ideas and created business models
The international Estonian-Finnish cooperation, which brought together young people and experts with different backgrounds and experiences, also made the program special. Learning took place not only in lectures, but also in study tours, workshops, mentoring sessions and real-life situations. Participants were able to develop their ideas step by step – from initial thoughts to business models, marketing solutions and public presentations.
Another strength of the program was that young people were encouraged to think sustainably and look for ways to use local traditions, crafts, stories, landscapes, and community values in a modern and creative way in business.
The HeritageHunters & Business program is part of the project CB0600324 – HeritageHunters & Business – Using the Local Nature and Cultural Heritage for Entrepreneurship, which is funded by the Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027. The project partners are the Peipsi Cooperation Center, the Viljandi Cultural Academy of the University of Tartu, the Imatra City Government and the Finnish Museum of Natural Heritage.
More information about
the project:
https://ctc.ee/activities-and-projects/running/heritagehunters-and-business
https://centralbaltic.eu/project/heritagehuntersbusiness/
Ederi Ojasoo
NGO Peipsi Cooperation
Center, project manager
ederi.ojasoo@gmail.com
56636264