A two-year project is being launched to document, celebrate and safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of Edinburgh’s global majority communities through the voices and leadership of young people.
Edinburgh Festival Carnival produced by Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival has secured the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s for the project to safeguard Edinburgh’s living heritage through youth leadership.
Running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028, the project will train Youth Ambassadors (aged 16–24) as Cultural Heritage Coordinators, supporting them to work alongside community elders and cultural practitioners to record migration stories, carnival traditions and cultural practices across communities including Latin American, Chinese, African diaspora, Caribbean and South Asian communities in Edinburgh.
At the heart of Carnival of Cultures is a youth-led heritage model combining:
- Research and documentation, including oral history training, interviewing and digital recording, to capture stories and cultural traditions with care and consent.
- Creative interpretation, where young people co-curate public outputs such as exhibitions, films, podcasts, costumes and performances inspired by the heritage they collect.
- Peer-led outreach, with Youth Ambassadors designing and delivering workshops in schools and youth settings using drumming, dance, costume, spoken word and storytelling.
- Public advocacy and sharing, including public showcases connected to Edinburgh Festival Carnival.
Over the two years, with £80,000 support thanks to National Lottery players, the project will safeguard heritage by recording oral histories and creating new digital heritage material for long-term preservation and access. It will also develop a digital archive and teaching pack to support ongoing learning in schools and communities.
Carnival of Cultures – Many Voices, One City will work extensively with the community. From recruiting the Youth Ambassadors, through collecting heritage stories to co-curated creative outputs and exhibitions, plus extended schools and community workshops and public showcases.
Across the programme, Carnival of Cultures will bring heritage into everyday public and learning spaces, schools, community centres and libraries, reaching hundreds of children and young people through free workshops and events, and ensuring the heritage recorded is shared back with the communities it comes from.
Giles Agis, Carnival & Community Manager at Edinburgh Festival Carnival, said:
“Carnival of Cultures is about making sure Edinburgh’s living heritage is visible, valued and passed on, not just stored away.
“By training our Youth Ambassadors as Cultural Heritage Coordinators, we are putting young people at the centre of safeguarding migration stories, community traditions and carnival practices, and then sharing them back through exhibitions, digital storytelling and joyful public celebration.
“Its many voices, one city, and a legacy that belongs to everyone who calls Edinburgh home.”
The post Carnival of Cultures: Youth Ambassadors to Champion Edinburgh’s Global Majority Heritage appeared first on Edinburgh Magazine – Positive Local News in Edinburgh, Scotland.
