In December 2024, 20 participants from 18 countries joined HERITΛGE for the Project Management for Heritage Managers workshop. This 3-day online course aims to equip attendees with essential project management skills, guiding them through the entire project lifecycle.

The course instructor, Tim Healing, started day one with a discussion on the concept of a project, how it differs from everyday tasks and the key qualities of an effective manager. He then outlined the project manager’s responsibilities and essential skills before going over common pitfalls to avoid, equipping participants to recognise and address these issues early. These skills were then put into practice with a group analysis of  a case study. The teams used this example to employ the project cycle framework and identify and resolve challenges, before drafting their own proposals.

The projects will be well planned, organized and with clear budgets to attract donor funding. The projects will also be evaluated and risks clearly assessed to have greater impact to the intended beneficiaries.
Walugembe Muzaphalu, Executive Director at Kanungu Empowerment and Support Organization

On the second day, training focused on the need for a structured agenda, with task outlines and risk identification the priority. Tim also introduced the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Critical Path Diagram and the SPECTRES risk assessment tool. Participants then  worked on the Niger Restoration Project case study, ranking risks, proposing solutions, and identifying which risks should be mitigated before starting the project, applying the risk management techniques and SPECTRES framework already outlined. 

I have found good insights in how to manage my project already in progress and it benefits to improve the rest of my project activities.
Rediat Messele, Lecturer in Archaeology and Heritage Management at Aksum University

The final day began with a session on developing project budgets, explaining direct and indirect costs through a publication case study. Participants worked in groups on the Sudan Museum Project case study, identifying monitoring concerns and strategies to stay on track, followed by group presentations and feedback.

The discussions remained lively to the end, and it was clear that participants had gained skills which they felt confident in applying in their own careers.

Participants were from Albania, Botswana, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Lesotho, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Uganda, and the United States.

Read more about our upcoming workshops here.

Over three days in October, fifteen heritage professionals joined our online workshop to learn more about engaging communities in heritage. Community engagement is one of the key strategies in heritage management and allows

HERITΛGE’s Aris Anagnostopoulos and  Eleni Stefanou along with the Organization’s Director, Evangelos Kyriakidis, led the workshop, each working with participants on a different section and drawing on case studies from participants’ own work.

After an introduction into how local perspectives are essential in heritage conservation, participants explored the idea of values and examined how the values tied to heritage by the local community make these communities essential stakeholders in safeguarding the knowledge and importance of heritage sites. Over the course of the workshop, participants also learned techniques for engagement through ethnographic research, values identification, collaborative design and representation of the whole community, looking at case studies from around the world and in different types of sites.

“What I liked most about this course was how it showed the importance of involving communities in preserving heritage,” said eter Adewale Jegede, Curator at Nigeria-based On Your Mark. “I now have a better understanding of how to build trust, encourage collaboration, and ensure that heritage initiatives are inclusive and sustainable. This knowledge will help me design projects that respect community perspectives and create stronger connections between people and their cultural heritage.”

Ibrahim Hassan Gafar Ali Fadolr, Director at University of Nyala Centre for Darfur Heritage said that “Major benefits of this training course shall be used in better planning, implementation and review of performance in dealing with communities with different backgrounds, cultures and linguistic variances. ”

“We were lacking skills of how to bring communities at odd to work jointly together to achieve success on behalf of everyone,” he added. 

HERITΛGE offers regular 3-day workshops on Community Engagement in Cultural Heritage, as well as an annual Summer Field School, held in Greece and online. 

From the 11th to 15th November 17 heritage professionals joined HERITAGE’s Community Tourism Planning & Development workshop that was organized in the framework of HerMaP Gambia, an initiative co-funded by the European Union that aims to enrich the understanding and appreciation of Gambian cultural heritage while enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders in the cultural and tourism sectors.

Tim Healing led the online course which was aimed at helping heritage professionals build the knowledge and skills necessary to develop sustainable community tourism projects. Through these projects, key stakeholders from the Gambia Tourist Board, Institute for Travel and Tourism of The Gambia, Juffureh Heritage Village Museum, Senegambia Stone Circle Tour Guide Association, JJB Kankurang Festival Committee as well as Independent participants, were encouraged to also address issues such as how to promote cultural preservation, economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability.

Participants worked on case studies from projects including Lamu in Kenya, Raqchi in Peru, Tourism Development in the Mursi Community of Ethiopia, The Green Valley Community Tourism Project, Managing Tourist Impact on the Cultural Events of the Maasai Mara Community, The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, and the Community-Based Tourism Initiative in Vietnam.

By focusing on community resource mobilisation, partnership building, financial literacy, and effective branding, the workshop aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to create authentic tourism experiences that support local development while increasing awareness of cultural heritage management . Participation with the workshop was lively with attendees demonstrating significant interest in the subject.  Despite being online, the workshop was also highly interactive, combining discussions, presentations, and group exercises which fostered an engaging learning environment. The collaborative activities encouraged the sharing of ideas and best practices, ensuring the content resonated with participants and was applicable to their local contexts.

“The workshop benefited greatly from the participants’ hands-on experience in community tourism, which added depth to the discussions and activities. Their practical knowledge allowed for a more insightful and relevant exchange of ideas, making the sessions both engaging and meaningful. I’m eager to see how they apply the strategies and concepts learned to further develop tourism projects,” said Mina Morou – HerMaP Gambia Project Manager.

*Tim Healing is our interim director of African Grants and capacity development officer, helping small heritage organizations in Africa develop an application and ensure they manage their grant efficiently. Tim has over thirty years’ experience working as a project manager and has a professional background in project management, community and NGO development.

HERITΛGE kicked off its 2024-2025 Online Workshop program with the Introduction to Heritage Interpretation for Site Managers workshop in early October. 19 participants from 15 different countries (Afghanistan, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Romania, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda) attended the online course which aimed to introduce the principles of quality heritage interpretation and how these can be applied to a range of sites.  

The course was led by Valya Stergioti, an interpretive trainer, planner and consultant who has run a multitude of heritage training interpretation workshops all over Europe. Penelope Gkini* delivered the keynote speech where she shared insights on Heritage Interpretation from her project in Armenoi village, Northwest Crete.

Heritage Interpretation provides a well-structured framework for non-formal learning, aimed at creating meaningful and unforgettable experiences for visitors. Over the course of three days, participants were introduced to the concept of heritage interpretation and through a combination of interactive exercises, group work, presentations and discussions, participants learned how to turn phenomena into experiences.  

The 3-day intensive workshop was well received and participants were able to develop knowledge of how to provoke resonance in visitors of heritage sites and foster a greater respect for all heritage across a range of sites in different countries.

“I’ve loved everything of this course. Particularly that we were able to take part in all discussions. As a person who wanted to know more about Heritage I was pleasantly surprised on what it entails,” said Miriam Uithaler, from the Jounou Arts and Culture Foundation

 “What I liked the most about the course is the opportunity it gave me to learn from other heritage site managers, to see the work that they are doing in their respective countries” said Pontso Masithela, from Sereti sa Makhoarane Heritage and Tourism Network.  “It really inspired me and increased my love and appreciation for heritage management. My project is going to benefit greatly because now I have acquired new skills and knowledge on ways to effectively interpret heritage sites or objects. And I am going to share it with my colleagues.”

* Penelope Gkini, studied Communication and Media in Athens Kapodistrian Univeristy, Arts and Languages in Dijon’s University and in 2022 she finished the Master of Science in Alternative Approaches of Psychology in Education at the University of Crete. She is interested in travelling, natural and cultural heritage interpretation, piano and nature. She works as a mountain guide since 2007, she has participated in the collective work of Aristotle University” Environmental journalism and communication. She conceives and implements some programs in the countryside (The postman’s road) and she runs the “Porizo” project with psycho-pedagogical objectives.

 

 

From 23rd October to 1st November, HERITΛGE held a Street Art Workshop in the Gambia. Street art serves as a vibrant and dynamic medium to bring history, culture, and identity to life and the workshop aimed to emphasize the power of creative expression in preserving and showcasing cultural heritage. The workshop was led by Leonidas Giannakopoulos*, a Greek artist whose murals adorn a number of central buildings in Greece and beyond. Giannakopoulos also created a mural for the premises of The Gambia’s National Centre for the Arts and Culture (NCAC) during the workshop. 

The training is part of  HerMaPp Gambia, an initiative co-funded by the EU that aims to enrich the understanding and appreciation of Gambian cultural heritage while enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders in the cultural sector. HERITΛGE has been working with the street artists of Galloya, a creative team of young locals that has also put together a local festival, for the past two years in the framework of HerMaP Gambia. 

Nine participants from around The Gambia joined the ten-day workshop where they delved into the history, significance, and key movements of graffiti and street art. Through this initiative, the program highlighted the importance of art as both a cultural tool and a means of celebrating and preserving heritage in a living, evolving form.

The workshop explored how cultural heritage can be commemorated through artistic representation, ensuring that elements of heritage resonate with the present generation. They also focused on practicing essential techniques like stencilling and design principles. On the third day, they focused on personal production, allowing each participant to create their own unique artwork. 

“I really enjoyed the big thirst for knowledge all our participants had and I hope everything I showed them and taught them was inspiring. I believe they will use all this knowledge because I saw a big thirst  for artistic expression. In their next works I believe they will apply all the things that they learned and they will keep on learning!” said trainer Leonidas Giannakopoulos. 

Participants were enthusiastic and fully engaged, producing creative and thought-provoking street art reflecting local culture.  “The knowledge and skills we gained during this experience have been truly invaluable” said Amadou Mousa, a street artist from Galloya and one of the founders of the local festival. “Leonidas’ guidance has not only enhanced our artistic abilities but also inspired us to explore new ways of expressing creativity within our community,” he added. 

Following this intensive workshop, an additional five days were devoted to the creation of a public artwork at the NCAC premises. During this time, participants observed advanced techniques and engaged closely with the detailed process of producing impactful public art. They gained hands-on experience in conceptualization, production, and project management, enhancing their appreciation for the commitment and precision behind large-scale street art projects.

“I wanted to create an artwork that refers to the people here in The Gambia, to the country’s young people that bring the future,”  said Giannakopoulos. “So I wanted to paint the portrait of a young child from the area of Banjul and express  the culture of this country by painting him with a mask of a hyena over a landscape of baobab trees, a very powerful tree that gives so many things to the people, it is not only about food or drink but is also spiritual.”

*Leonidas Giannakopoulos studied painting and printmaking at the School of Ffine Arts of Athens, and has since been commissioned to paint several murals for municipalities, festivals, public buildings and private companies around the world. 

**Photos by Leonidas Giannakopoulos, Nefeli Papanagiotou, and the HerMaP Gambia team and beneficiaries in The Gambia