49 heritage professionals from Rwanda took part in two recent Introduction to Heritage Interpretation Workshops, led by HERITΛGE’s Valia Stergioti. The participants included officials from educational institutions, heritage sites, tourist businesses, local communities and NGOs. 

During the workshop, which was led in person by HERITΛGE’s Valya Stergioti, they were introduced to the skills that allow heritage managers to transform mere phenomena into captivating experiences. They learned how to evoke a deep resonance within visitors at heritage sites of natural and/or cultural significance, guiding them towards profound insights and nurturing an appreciation for all aspects of heritage. Additionally, participants developed the ability to provide and receive constructive feedback to and from their peers. 

The first of the two workshops was delivered in cooperation with the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy to 26 heritage and tourism professionals and took place on 24-26 July at the Rwanda Heritage Hub and the Kandt House Museum in Kigali. 

“I learned to connect our participants to the site, which will help to increase our visitors satisfaction” said Esther Kakuze, Managing Director of ImuHira Ecotourism Rwanda who took part in the workshops. 

“My project and institution will benefit through my professional practice,paying attention to all details related to heritage Management and community engagement,” said Wilhelm Mugiramahoro, Operations Officer for the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. 

The second workshop was delivered in cooperation with Nyanza District to 23 heritage and tourism professionals in the Nyanza District’s Visitor Centre. 

“I have gained new skills as the heritage interpretation workshop was a new subject to me. I will use them so my visitors can enjoy our site and be our ambassadors, ” siad Sandrine Uwambayinkindi from the Girampuhwe Visitor Centre.

Both workshops are part of our HerMaP Africa program which is realised with the generous support of the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program. 

 

The Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE) is happy to announce a series of online training workshops for heritage professionals and caretakers for 2024-2025.  A variety of scholarships and funding opportunities are available. As places are limited, candidates are advised to apply as soon as possible. 

Online Workshop Calendar 2024-2025

Introduction to Heritage Interpretation for Site Managers | 01–03 October 2024 

Master the principles of high-quality heritage interpretation and gain hands-on experience in implementing them at your site/organization in order to create meaningful and unforgettable experiences for visitors. 

Engaging Communities in Cultural Heritage | 11–13 October 2024

Understand the community engagement process,  a key heritage management strategy.  Master the challenges of working with local communities discern between communities and audiences and understand audience segmentation, get introduced to ethnographic approaches to creating collaborative research-based programs, and learn the methods and techniques of oral history to elicit and document tangible and intangible heritage.

Conservation III: Preventive Conservation (pilot)  | 15-17 November 

A pilot workshop only open to heritage managers that have previously completed Conservation II: First Aid for Finds. 

Interpretive Writing for Natural and Cultural Heritage | 25–27 November 2024

Learn how to write text that grabs and holds the reader’s attention. Discover and practice a wide range of techniques to engage visitors and master the techniques of interpretive writing. Participants will work to become a HERITΛGE-accredited Interpretive Writer, after successfully completing, and being assessed on, the exercises and activities.

Project Management for Heritage Managers | 13-15 December 2024

Gain the skills and knowledge to  run a successful project from inception, through the planning and implementation phases to closure. Create a work breakdown structure, a critical path diagram and a Gantt chart. Research potential funders and write a grant application. Improve personal time management skills. Learn to think critically, identify risks and create solutions. 

Organising Temporary Exhibitions from your Collections and Touring Strategies | 14–16 February 2025

The focus of this workshop is to give you the skills to ensure temporary, touring and partnership exhibitions can enhance and promote your institution’s mission, create new audiences and mutually beneficial partnerships. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own exhibition ideas to the workshop for discussion and development.

Communication Strategy and Strategic Marketing for Cultural Organizations | 07-09 March 2025

Join a focused learning experience that provides a systemic approach to successfully attract key audiences’ attention through traditional, new, and social media. Acquire a working guide to effectively communicate news, initiatives, and announcements of your organization and manage communication around a crisis or issue.

Successful Fundraising for Heritage Managers: Strategies and Best Practices | 28-30 March 2025

Start-up and build an organization’s contributed revenue to increase its impact in the world. Participants learn best practices and apply them to create the case for support and letter of inquiry for their own organization or project. Workshop sessions combine live and asynchronous lectures, case studies, class discussions and interactive exercises.

Conservation I: Introduction to the General Principles of Cultural Heritage Conservation | 4-6 April 2025

Learn the fundamentals, the ethics, the evolution, and the contemporary international context of conservation. At the end of the course, participants will be able to understand the potential of conservation, together with the processes which are necessary to maximize it.

Strategic Planning for Heritage Managers  | 9-11 May 2025

Successful strategy can lead to success and this course will provide participants with the tools and methodologies to successfully formulate and implement strategy in organizations managing cultural heritage. Learn the methods and tools of strategic analysis that will enable you devise and evaluate alternative strategic choices and comprehend the demands of a strategy implementation project.

More workshop dates will be announced soon. To apply visit our Executive Leadership Training page. 

The Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE) is happy to announce the successful completion of the first part of “Digital Museum: Storytelling, networks, and funding for Ukrainian museums”, a training course for Ukrainian museum professionals. The course is part of “Culture Helps / Культура допомагає” – a cooperation between Insha Osvita and zusa, co-funded by the European Union.

Digital Museum offers free training to 32 museum professionals from 14 regions of Ukraine. HERITΛGE for the first part of its training modules has provided training on fundraising and digital storytelling, while experts from Ukrainian partner institutions (the Charitable Foundation Shevchenko Hai, the Klymentiy Sheptytskyi Museum of Folk Architecture and Life,  the NGO New Museum, the Museum Crisis Center, and the Territory of Terror Memorial Museum of Totalitarian Regimes) have trained participants on collection digitization, digital revitalization of exhibitions in small museums, online museum portals, and oral history and documentation.

“The Digital Museum initiative is one that HERITΛGE is very proud to be part of. The war in Ukraine has resulted in the destruction and displacement of many Ukrainian museums, especially in the east of the country. These museums, whose collections are lost or evacuated and stored for safety, struggle to survive. Their role of bringing people together around their shared history is essential now, when many Ukrainians are displaced and need support to maintain the connection with their identity and culture,” said Maja Kominko, Director of HERITΛGE’s International Projects.

 

The Digital Museum training program is the result of cooperation between HERITΛGE, New Museum ( an NGO that manages the Museum Crisis Center and is a partner of Lviv’s Territory of Terror Memorial Museum), and the Shevchenkivskyi Hai Charitable Foundation (at the Klymentii Sheptytskyi Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life in Lviv). It is designed to develop the capacity of Ukrainian museums in digital storytelling and virtual exhibition projects in order to increase the online presence of Ukrainian culture. Participating professionals will develop their fundraising, partnership-building, and networking skills to enable museums to expand their activities and attract more resources to preserve and promote Ukrainian culture.

About Culture Helps: Culture Helps is co-funded by the European Union under a dedicated call for proposals to support Ukrainian displaced citizens and the Ukrainian Cultural and Creative Sectors. The project is a cooperation between Insha Osvita (UA) and zusa (DE).

Twenty one Heritage Managers from Africa (Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe), Asia (Afghanistan, Iraq), and Europe (Greece, Ukraine, United Kingdom) took part in HERITΛGE’s 3-day online workshop on “Successful Fundraising for Heritage Managers: Strategies and Best Practices” from 22 to 24 March 2024. During the workshop, participants  acquired a strong understanding of how to develop and execute effective fundraising strategies, with the aim of increasing their organizations contributed revenues and its global impact. 

Workshops participants successfully developed and implemented strategies in the core principles of fundraising, as well as effective approaches to resolving ethical dilemmas. They also honed their collaboration skills and techniques in relation to executive and voluntary leadership and were trained  in crafting and presenting a persuasive case for support through prospect research.

Additionally, the workshop instructors, Linda C. Hartley and Jennier E. Herring, skillfully guided attendees in the art of cultivating and approaching potential donors, mastering the art of making personal donation requests, and successfully obtaining grants from foundations and corporations.

At HERITΛGE, we’re on a mission to empower heritage professionals across the world. As we expand our presence in North America, we recognize the importance of understanding the unique needs and challenges faced by heritage professionals in the region. That’s why we’re reaching out to you – the experts at the forefront of heritage preservation – to help us shape the future of heritage management training.

Your Voice, Our Vision:
North America boasts a rich tapestry of cultural heritage, from historic landmarks to indigenous traditions. To ensure that this heritage is preserved and celebrated for generations to come, we need your input. By participating in our brief survey, you’ll have the opportunity to share your insights and contribute to the development of training programs that are tailored to the needs of heritage professionals in the US, Canada, Mexica, and the wider region.

Your responses to our short survey will guide us in identifying areas for improvement and developing new initiatives that better serve the heritage community in North America.

A Chance to Win
As a token of our appreciation for your participation, we’re offering two (2) lucky participants the chance to win a scholarship to a HERITAGE online training workshop of their choosing. This scholarship, valued at $3,000, provides access to world-class training opportunities designed to enhance your skills and expertise in heritage management.

Take our Survey!
Simply click here to access the survey and share your valuable insights.

We would be very grateful if, upon completion of the survey, you shared the link with your network of heritage professionals to ensure we reach as wide a sample as possible.

Stay Connected
Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn for updates on the survey results and announcements of the scholarship winners. Together, we can make a meaningful impact on the preservation and promotion of North America’s diverse cultural heritage.

 

The importance of conservation for heritage preservation and management cannot be overstated. Conservation of cultural heritage is not merely about preserving physical objects; it is about safeguarding the messages and values embedded within them.

To delve deeper into this vital field, we are thrilled to announce our new workshop, Conservation II: First Aid for Finds.

This workshop, scheduled for 12-14 April 2024, is an online training program that allows participants from around the globe to engage in an immersive learning experience.

Conservation aims to maintain both the physical and cultural characteristics of an object, ensuring that its intrinsic value remains undiminished over time.

Led by Dr. Alexis Stefanis, Assistant Professor at the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art at the University of West Attica, it will focus on providing step-by-step instructions on the best practices for caring for freshly excavated archaeological and historic objects. Moreover, it will address the delicate task of preserving objects belonging to collections that have been recently damaged, as well as offering insights into administering first aid measures to architectural heritage.

Throughout the workshop, participants will delve into essential processes, including preparation, application of treatments, and monitoring. Dr. Stefanis, with his wealth of experience in research projects and numerous publications on conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of architectural heritage, will guide participants through these intricate procedures.

Find out more information and apply here by 31 March 2024.

**This workshop accompanies our Conservation I: Introduction to the General Principles of Cultural Heritage Conservation workshop that will take place in May 2024.