OCT 15-18, 2018_Royal Film Commission, Amman, Jordan

WHY

Cultural heritage development represents a major challenge for stakeholders from the cultural sector as well as civil society organisations, and citizen engagement and education is part of this challenge.

This workshop aims to promote a process where local communities start taking responsibility for their own heritage assets. It will look into the potential for cultural heritage to encourage participation, integration and cohesion in society and will provide a better understanding of the notions of citizen engagement and education in heritage, as well as useful and inspiring approaches to these issues.

It will train a number of civil society activists and trainers from the region in heritage making and cultural development processes as a basis for promoting an empowered and resilient society and underline the value of heritage in the development of a more robust and resilient community that strives for peace building and steers away from radicalization and extremist behavior.

This regional workshop responds to an expressed need from Med Culture beneficiaries and builds on previous work accomplished through the programme.

  
WHAT

The workshop will explore:

• Issues of diversity and identity: cultural heritage as a shared resource that forms part of the (multiple) cultural identity of communities and individuals

• Interpretation and representation as theory and practice
• Hidden histories and how they empower people to see the environment around them
• Storytelling and trails as tools for promoting diversity and acceptance of the other   
• Case studies and lessons learnt: towards building a potential model for the region
• Awareness campaigns and their impact on community awareness - individuals devise a real campaign that will feed into project management and strategic planning.

HOW

The workshop will guarantee a hands-on and interactive programme. It aims to:

• Strengthen the capacity of key operators/activists in promoting cultural heritage within local communities and raising awareness about the role they can contribute for its development.
• Enhance leadership and advocacy skills so they become protagonists of heritage as a tool for development, social cohesion and for building a culture of peace.
• Promote the development of heritage spaces for community use and more particularly for youth encounters.
• Contribute to strengthening communities around culture and heritage to promote a resilient society conscious of its well-being and security.

Explore how to transmit the value of public participation and partnership as a necessary pre-requisite for building resilient communities and for engaging citizens’ engagement in the shaping their environment, (which is the essence of what civil society is all about.)