Heritage, live! — Our digital educator toolkit is officially launched

The HEART digital educator toolkit, the culmination of our two-year European collaboration project, was officially launched today during an online international seminar that assessed the potential of educational interventions in the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The 90-minute seminar, which premiered on YouTube, was followed by a live Q&A session on Zoom. Watch back the seminar presentations below:

The educator toolkit created by the HEART project contains over 50 training units aimed at educators, community groups and anyone working in the heritage or community art fields. The toolkit introduces an innovative set of methodologies for engaging with ICH in the context of a community-based art education programme. Many of the tools developed by the project will also be applicable in other educational fields. The toolkit units cover all aspects of implementing an art education programme with a heritage focus, addressing relevant ICH concerns, assisting with course planning and management, and providing a bank of practical, set-by-step exercises you can use with your participants. Our approach is informed by the ideas of transformative learning theory, using the creative process to empower learners and bring about a new understanding of ICH.

The non-linear format of the toolkit—which is searchable, and can be browsed by both broad themes or specific topics—means educators can access the specific resources they need at a particular time, without being required to complete a time-consuming training course. The toolkit units are also enriched with a variety of multimedia content, including immersive 360 degree video, virtual exhibitions and various other recordings, as we aim to provide educators with a clear demonstration of the pedagogical principles while also highlighting the potential benefits of using new technologies for the preservation of cultural heritage. Try it for yourself!

Some 60 participants joined us for the live seminar and at the subsequent Q&A session Pekka Kinnunen, from project coordinator Kansalaisfoorumi, thanked all those in attendance as well as the five project partners for delivering a fantastic outcome. The HEART project is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme and we wish to acknowledge their generous support.