Course on Promoting People-Centred Approaches: Engaging Communities in the Conservation of Nature and Culture

A Regional Course will take place in the Lake Ohrid region between 4 and 13 October 2016. This Course on Promoting People-Centred Approaches aims at providing heritage practitioners with the necessary tools to engaging communities in the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. The course is organized in the framework of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region”.

Background

The course is organized in the framework of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region” funded by the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Albania. The aim of the course is to reinforce knowledge and provide tools to work more effectively with communities through existing management systems to Albanian and Macedonian experts from partner institutions. However, the course is open to practitioners from the wider region. This course will also be used as an opportunity to create a forum for participants to share their experiences from both the cultural and natural heritage sectors, learning from other heritage practitioners who are actively involved with communities. The course will consist of lectures, interactive sessions on sharing experiences and practical exercises based on a real-life case study. The working language will be English.

Engaging communities in all processes of World Heritage has been emphasized by the World Heritage Committee through recognizing the engaging of ‘communities’ amongst its five strategic directions. This also strengthens article 5 of the World Heritage Convention, which explicitly indicates States Parties should adopt general policies aiming to give cultural and natural heritage a ‘function in the life of the community.’

Participants

The course is designed for a maximum of 20 participants. Ten positions will be allocated to those directly engaged in the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region.” The remaining 10 positions will be open to heritage practitioners from the cultural, natural and environmental protection sectors who wish to share their experiences and strengthen their knowledge, skills and application of tools for engaging communities. Applicants should demonstrate either their involvement in on-going community activities or a strong need and desire to engage communities in their work.

Venue

The course opening and closing will be in Tirana.  The remainder of the course will be held at different locations around the Lake Ohrid region in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Travel, Accommodation and Living Expenses

Participants are strongly encouraged to seek financial support from sources such as governmental institutions, employers and funding agencies. Cost of accommodation and food will be about 1000 Euros, and travel costs should be foreseen additionally.

Subsidized places for those who would otherwise be unable to attend will be competitively assessed after the deadline of 17:00 CET, Monday 15 August 2016.  Places will be awarded on the basis of merit and financial need for up to 10 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia  holding local or regional positions in heritage management.

Applications

All information relevant to the application process is available at the following webpage: http://www.iccrom.org/course-on-promoting-people-centred-approaches/

Application deadline extended until 15 August 2016