The Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE) is proud to announce the launch of its Winter School, an intensive online program dedicated to Engaging Communities in Cultural Heritage. Running from 26 January to 8 February 2026, this new training initiative builds on the success of HERITΛGE’s established training formats—its introductory 3-day workshop and its immersive summer field school. 

As Foteini Giannoulidi, head of HERITΛGE’s Educational Department, explains, “our proudly launched Winter School serves as an intermediate training program between our workshops and our intensive Summer Field School. It is designed for heritage managers who seek a profound approach to community engagement in a remote format, offering the opportunity to complete an extensive, in-depth training program.”

Community engagement has become one of the most important and dynamic areas in heritage management. Around the world, museums, archives, cultural institutions, and local organizations increasingly recognize that meaningful engagement cannot rely on generic “toolkits.” Sustainable and ethical collaboration requires sensitivity to local contexts, awareness of community values, and approaches grounded in shared authority and co-creation.

The Winter School embraces this perspective. It offers a research-led, community-centred framework shaped by HERITΛGE’s extensive practical experience in Europe, Africa, and beyond. Participants will explore the principles and ethics of community engagement while developing practical skills such as applied ethnography, long-distance interviewing, digital documentation of personal and material heritage, collaborative storytelling, and interpretive planning. The program also examines how festivals, artistic practices, and community-driven initiatives can act as powerful platforms for participation and representation.

The course will be taught by Dr Aris Anagnostopoulos and Dr Lena Stefanou, with guest contributions from HERITΛGE Director Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis—a team bringing decades of experience in participatory research, community partnerships, heritage interpretation, and cultural practice.

This Winter School is designed for museum and heritage professionals, cultural managers, researchers, community organizers, and practitioners working in related fields such as archaeology, public history, archives, and tourism. Participants from all regions are welcome, and a strong command of English is required.

Applicants are invited to submit an online application. Those shortlisted will be contacted for a brief interview. Because places are limited, early application is strongly recommended.