Recognising both the need for and challenges of citizen engagement and education, this learning kit aims to offer basic concepts, inspiring methods, and specific examples for thinking about and practising engagement and education in heritage.
The first part of the publication is more conceptual, aiming to create a better understanding of historical, political, and practical issues involved in citizen engagement and education. It points to some policy trends and challenges in implementing participatory projects. It also offers a broader view of the most recent theories of learning and education and their relation to citizen engagement and sketches the brief history of engaging citizens in heritage, as well as the promised benefits for heritage civil society organisations that engage citizens.
In the second part, the learning kit focuses on the process of engaging citizens. Every step is filled with various questions, dilemmas, and possible issues, including setting objectives, tasks, desired outcomes and goals, managing relations, building trust and collaboration, and sustaining and evaluating the work done.
The final part presents inspiring cases of civil society organisations across Europe. The eight selected cases present the diversity of scope, topics, methods, and modalities of engaging and educating individuals, groups, and larger communities in maintaining, preserving, and interpreting heritage.
The Learning Kit on Citizen Engagement & Education for heritage civil society organisations was issued by Europa Nostra with the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
