About the course

The course aims to provide participants with increased competences in planning heritage interpretation more effectively at their own heritage sites. Specifically, the course will:

• provide a general understanding of the heritage interpretation discipline, including its principles, practice and planning process;
• promote understanding of how heritage interpretation can help convey multi-layered value associated with a heritage property/area.
• show how to encourage people to reflect upon universals and values in a way that allows the transfer of findings at heritage sites into their meaningful experience;
• demonstrate how heritage interpret ive planning can play a role at heritage sites in support of their overall management systems/plans;
• enable participants to concretely contribute to the improvement of interpretive planning at their own heritage sites/areas;
• serve as a forum for participants to share their experiences, learn from each other and reinforce networking and cooperation at the regional/national level.

The course is primarily addressed to professionals who are already engaged in planning and wish to contribute to advancing heritage interpretation at heritage sites.

More specifically, participants of this course usually include staff managing heritage properties, representatives of civil society organizations (community representatives, local associations, NGOs, etc.) and private practitioners (e.g. individuals or companies active in heritage presentation/interpretation, such as architects, planners, property owners, consultants, etc.).

• active involvement in the management of a heritage site or area in Europe and/or in its presentation and interpretation
• working level of English
• planning skills and relevant professional experience

The whole course will be delivered through 2 phases blending various modalities (presentations, exercises on real cases, group and individual work, discussions, among others):

Phase 1: Distance learning on heritage interpretation (Introductory webinar; warm-up assignments with distance support during the summertime) / July-September 2023

Phase 2: Face-to-face workshop on interpretive planning (6 days on-site workshop blending lectures, site visits, and group work on a real case) / 17-22 September 2023

Optional:

Phase 3: Post-workshop assignments on interpretive planning of one’s own case (individual final assignments with distance support spread out over 3 weeks after the workshop). This third phase is not included in the course fee, but is an optional choice. You can decide after the course if you want to continue with this phase.

The working language of the course is English.

• Design learning holistically (with head, heart and hand) and in various forms
• Respect the needs of the individual learner
• Include experiences from the learner’s own work and life
• Initiate and promote new learning experiences and inspire the desire for learning
• Strengthen personal responsibility and the readiness to give and to receive critiques
• Support the cooperation of learners with each other and with other stakeholders
• Allow cooperative development of content in realistic situations
• Provide space to share new experiences and to challenge normal ways of thinking
• Visualise results and relate to them during following training sessions.

During the training course, participants experience and develop subjects mainly on their own in small groups and in exercises on site while most presentations are kept short. This empowers participants to take ownership of their learning, sharing the outcomes and providing feedback to assess the results.

Interpret Europe’s (IE) training programme was launched in 2015. It offers certification courses to support professionals who communicate natural and cultural heritage as guides, hosts, writers or planners and want to add the interpretive component to their work.

At its best, learning happens where people experience ‘the real thing’. Heritage interpretation facilitates such experiences using a broad range of approaches from guided walks to sophisticated exhibitions. It has the power to make heritage more meaningful to people, and people more mindful towards our shared values.

Key terms from the four interpretive qualities of interpretation are:

• Offering paths to deeper meaning
• Turning phenomena into experiences
• Provoking resonance and participation
• Fostering stewardship for all heritage.