HERITΛGE is launching a pilot training program in Project Management specifically targeted toward U.S.-based Heritage Managers. The 3-day online training program will take place Oct. 7-9 2023, with participants only required to contribute a $50.00 registration fee.

“Project Management is a skill that many take for granted and is often underrated in its importance, but it affects every aspect of our work,” said HERITΛGE Director, Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis. “This training focuses on those working in the heritage, environmental, or social action fields, but it can equally be applied to any project by emphasizing the importance of planning,” he added.

The course will be delivered by Tim Healing, who has over thirty years of experience working as a project manager and a professional background in project management, community, and NGO development. He specializes in the coordination and support of cultural heritage and community-based social action projects and has particular experience working with local communities, national and regional museums, heritage institutions, government, and non-governmental organizations.

For this pilot program, exclusively targeted towards US-based heritage managers, participants will only need to pay a $50.00 registration fee.

Participants in HERITΛGE’s Executive Leadership in Heritage Management Workshops are automatically granted HERITΛGE Membership.

Find out more: Find out more about our Project Management for Heritage Managers Workshop here.

How to Apply: To apply for this workshop, please fill out this form before September 27, 2023.

HERITΛGE is very proud to have trained two groups of heritage practitioners during its Train the  Trainers workshop in The Gambia in June, in partnership with the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia. The 29 practitioners completed the first phase of their training and are now ready to go ahead and train a new generation of heritage managers in The Gambia.

“The Train the Trainers workshop is of great value as it promotes ownership among local people by creating an enabling environment that empowers them to design and deliver courses in heritage management, while at the same time encouraging community participation and ensuring the sustainability and significance of their contributions.,” said Mina Morou, Africa Programs Manager for HERITΛGE.

The Train the Trainers workshop is a transformative program that empowers participants to become influential multipliers in the field of heritage management. It provides participants with the essential skills and knowledge to design and deliver effective courses for adult learners in this domain.

The workshop covers various critical aspects including course design principles, assessing student needs, tailoring instruction, building trust with learners, providing feedback, and implementing continuous evaluation processes. It promotes a culture of critical thinking and highlights the significance of understanding cultural nuances in training delivery. Practical exercises and real-world examples are incorporated to facilitate meaningful learning experiences for the participants.

By the end of the workshop, participants are equipped to disseminate the acquired knowledge and make a positive impact in the field of heritage management.

During the training, HERITΛGE was happy to host the Honorable Omar Jatto Jammeh as a guest speaker. The workshop is part of HERITΛGE’s HerMaP Gambia program.

About HerMaP Gambia: The program is aimed at developing the business skills of heritage and cultural managers to enable them to establish and better support heritage and cultural enterprises. Supporting The Gambia’s heritage sector will promote community solidarity and provide high-quality employment opportunities for local talent.

The program is co-funded by the European Union.

 

From 18 to 30 June 2023, a transformative two-week online Summer School on Engaging Communities in Cultural Heritage was held, bringing together 14 heritage managers from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Led by HERITΛGE’s Dr. Aris Anagnostopoulos and Dr. Lena Stefanou, the annual program aims to cultivate a fresh approach to community engagement in cultural heritage, emphasizing social and artistic research with community-led initiatives. 

Expanding Perspectives on Community Engagement

The Summer School provides a platform for participants to explore the principles of community engagement, collaborative research, and heritage values. Through dynamic and tailored modes of research, this year’s participants gained insights into reaching specific target groups, including university students and rural communities. Training sessions on applied ethnography, oral history interviews, and documentation of personal narratives and material objects equipped them with practical tools for engaging with communities effectively.

One of the highlights of the Summer School was the opportunity for participants to delve into the curation of multimedia content. By conducting interviews with community leaders Habtamu Gizawu Tola and Amar Tuldhar about their projects, “Peaceful Understanding and Reconciliation for Pastoralists Livelihood Enhancement” (PURPLE) and “Attending the Unattended” respectively, participants developed a deep understanding of how cultural heritage can be preserved and presented through various digital mediums. These interviews will be transformed into podcasts, ensuring that the stories and experiences of these communities find a wider audience.

Insights from Invited Lectures

The Summer School featured three distinguished invited lectures, enriching the learning experience for the participants. Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis, founding Director of the Heritage Management Organization, shared his expertise in Mycenaean administration, Minoan religion, and iconography. Dr. Vicky Papadimitriou, a managing director with a background in archaeology and cultural management, provided insights into event planning and cultural tourism. Aba Hydara, the founder of the NIUMI FORT BULLEN COLONIAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL, shed light on community-led initiatives and the challenges of waste management for sustainable tourism.

HERITΛGE is already receiving applications for our next Community Engagement for Cultural Heritage Management Summer School that will take place in June 2024. 

In May and June 2023, HERITΛGE’s Online Summer School on Digital Tools for Cultural Heritage Management brought together 14 heritage managers from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Led by Dr. Cornelis Stal, this annual immersive program aims to equip participants with advanced skills in GIS, Photogrammetry and image-based 3D modeling, and laser scanning.
Let’s delve into the key highlights and the impact of this transformative experience.

GIS: Unlocking the Power of Spatial Data in Heritage Management

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) play a crucial role in cultural heritage management. During the summer school, participants were introduced to open-source GIS software and gained insights into transforming manuscript plans into comprehensive geographical databases. The importance of cartography in heritage preservation was emphasized. Through hands-on instruction, participants learned practical techniques and implemented them in real-life scenarios, enabling them to harness the power of GIS for effective cultural heritage management.

Photogrammetry and Image-based 3D Modeling: Capturing Heritage in Three Dimensions

Photogrammetry and image-based 3D modeling provide an immersive and detailed way to document and preserve cultural heritage. Participants in the summer school familiarized themselves with various digital tools, such as photography, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and model referencing. From image acquisition to data processing and model publishing, the entire workflow was covered. Participants were provided with a free license for Agisoft Metashape Professional, allowing them to create their own 3D models. This hands-on experience equipped them with the skills to capture heritage sites in stunning detail and share them with the world.

Terrestrial Laser Scanning: Unveiling the Secrets of Ancient Sites

Terrestrial laser scanning is a cutting-edge technique for acquiring precise and detailed point clouds of archaeological sites. In this specialist course, participants learned the principles and best practices of laser scanning. With a focus on 3D recording for conservation purposes, heritage managers gained the ability to create accurate representations of historic locations. This technology has the potential to revolutionize how heritage sites are documented and preserved, ensuring their legacy for future generations.

Case Studies: Putting Skills into Action

To apply their newly acquired skills, participants selected their own projects as case studies. This personalized approach allowed them to address specific challenges and gain practical experience. Projects ranged from the Roman Theatre at Palmyra in Syria to the Fort Jesus Heritage Site in Mombasa, Kenya. Each participant had the opportunity to work on their project using the digital tools and techniques they learned, making the summer school experience directly relevant to their work.

The success of our Digital Tools Summer School, that takes place annually online and in person, owes much to the expertise of Dr. Cornelis Stal, Lecturer at the Ghent University College (Department of Real Estate and Land Surveying), and Visiting Professor at the Ghent University (Department of Geography) with a significant experience in the field.

This year’s graduates are already putting their newfound expertise into action, ensuring the preservation of iconic sites for future generations.

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HERITΛGE is already receiving applications for next year’s summer school and is still accepting applications for its Certificate in Digital Tools for Cultural Heritage Management, let by Dr. Stal and run in cooperation with HOGENT University.

HERITΛGE is happy to announce three upcoming training workshops for Heritage Professionals.

At HERITΛGE we train professionals in the management of heritage sites, independently of project specifics. We have trained more than 1000 individuals and organizations in over 77 countries and are now on course to impact a quarter of global heritage hotspots by 2025.

Our upcoming opportunities include:

Engaging Communities in Cultural Heritage – Online and In-Person

This course draws from our long experience with community engagement through heritage and will discuss several examples from our own and others’ work. At HERITΛGE aim to develop a distinct approach to community engagement, based on social (and art) research with community-led initiative.

Introduction to Heritage Interpretation for Site Managers – Online

Heritage Interpretation is a structured approach to non-formal learning, specialized in making visitors’ experience meaningful and unforgettable. In this 3-day course, participants will familiarize themselves with the principles of quality heritage interpretation and will practice how to use interpretation on their own sites.

Interpretive Writing for Natural and Cultural Heritage – Online

The key to effective word-based Heritage Interpretation is written text that grabs and holds the reader’s attention. During a 3-day online course, participants will discover and practice a wide range of techniques to engage visitors and master the techniques of interpretive writing.

 

*There is funding available through the Benefactor Scholarships of the Heritage Management Organizations. The scholarships are available for qualified candidates and cover a large part of the cost, excluding travel and hotel expenses for in-person training.

In a rapidly changing world, the preservation and management of cultural heritage require strategic planning and effective decision-making. HERITΛGE’s latest transformative 3-day online workshop titled “Strategic Planning for Heritage Managers” took place in mid-May and brought together 14 heritage managers from Africa, Asia, and Europe, providing them with essential strategic planning skills and knowledge. 

Led by Alexandros Papalexandris, Assistant Professor of Management at the Athens University of Economics and Business, the workshop immersed participants in a comprehensive curriculum. Heritage managers from Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Sudan, India, Syria, and North Macedonia had the opportunity to  explore a variety of strategic analysis methods and tools. They gained insights into planning and evaluating alternative strategic options, understanding the requirements of strategy implementation projects, and assessing the macro-environmental factors influencing organizational strategies.

The participants delved into the core concepts of strategy, grasped the importance of strategic planning, and acquired the skills to craft compelling vision and mission statements. Analyzing the business macro-environment, including political, economic, social, and technological factors, were skills on which the heritage managers participating focused intensely during the training. Moreover, the workshop equipped participants with the ability to identify and leverage different types of resources and capabilities to gain a competitive advantage.

Towards Practical Application: To cement their newly acquired skills, participants were divided into three groups, and each group selected a project from within their cohort for an in-depth case study. The chosen projects included the establishment of a Children’s Museum at The Grand Egyptian Museum in Egypt, the preservation of the Palmyra World Heritage Site in Syria, and the development of the Kumanovo Museum in North Macedonia. By working on these real-world projects, the participants had the opportunity to apply their strategic planning knowledge and develop practical solutions.

While the workshop concluded after three intense days, the learning journey continues. Participants will reconvene with their instructor, Alexandros Papalexandris, on May 22nd for a tutorial meeting. This session will provide an opportunity for participants to seek guidance, clarify doubts, and receive valuable feedback to refine their final projects. This personalized approach ensures that the heritage managers are supported as they progress towards implementing their strategic plans.

The workshop featured a keynote speech by Joshua Mwankunda, a distinguished professional with two decades of management experience in government services and overseas assignments. Mr. Mwankunda showcased his expertise in heritage conservation, development, tourism, project management, procurement, and engineering. He has managed successful heritage projects within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including the conservation of Laetoli footprints, ElA and CHIA for road upgrades, museum development, and supervised the establishment of Sub Saharan Africa’s first Geopark.