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Certified Interpretive Planner Course

How to co-create the interpretive experience

Do you seek a different and more meaningful way to interact with your visitors? Are you about to plan your visitor experience on site? This course could be just what you need.

Interpretation means to add meaning to experiences, whether this comes from feelings or thoughts.   

Interpret Europe’s course for Certified Interpretive Planners (CIP) is about interpretive planning for all kinds of heritage sites, including parks, archaeological sites, historic buildings, monuments, museums, zoos, botanical gardens, villages or even parts of towns.

Whether you want to reinvent your visitor centre, make an exhibition, plan your visitor experience at your entire site, this course gives you the interpretive framework towards a more meaningful visitor experience.

When and where

The course is organised by Waddenvereniging, Sealcentre Pieterburen and Interpret Europe country team from Belgium. The course venue is Sealcentre Pieterburen, in the area of the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands), which is acknowledged UNESCO World Heritage.

The face-to-face course is scheduled for 17-22 September 2023, in Pieterburen, The Netherlands. In advance, there is an online introductory webinar scheduled in July or August 2023 (date to be defined).

If you want to join us: please fill out and submit the online application form.

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About Sealcentre Pieterburen at the Wadden Sea: the course venue

We are hosted by the “Sealcentre Pieterburen”. This centre has been mainly known for rehabilitating and releasing wild seals for over 50 years. The Sealcentre has over time also become an important touristic destination for over 85.000 visitors yearly and hosting up to 120 international volunteers and researchers yearly. Over the last 10 years the main purpose of the centre has shifted from rehabilitation towards prevention of problems for seals. This has led to a change of message towards creating awareness on the wellbeing of the marine environment.

It is for the latter reason that the Sealcentre is the initiator of the “World Heritage centre Wadden Sea” in Lauwersoog, a local harbour. With this initiative the centre hopes, together with partners, to give visitors a new perspective on their relationship with the natural dynamics around them. Particularly that of the nearby UENSCO natural heritage site, the Wadden Sea.

The Wadden Sea is the largest intertidal area in the world. It’s unique natural dynamics have led to the recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009. Despite the recognition as a natural heritage, the cultural heritage of the area should not be underestimated. For hundreds of year inhabitants of this area, human and non-human, have had to adept to the ever shaping play of tidal movements and sand deposition.

Participation costs

Participant course fees:

For D and C countries*: 480 euro

For A and B countries**: 386 euro

Included in this price are: one introduction online working session, a 6 day face to face course, every day coffee breaks & lunches, travel to the site visits, site visits, course material.

Not included: travel costs to the site location, lodgings and dinner.

*D countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
*C: Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain
**B: Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovakia
**A:  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine

Still hesitating?

Three reasons to come

  • A chance for knowledge sharing with heritage professionals around Europe
  • the practical experience-based learning sessions
  • Going home with a practical framework to start your own interpretive plan

Questions?
Ask the IE Country Coordinator of Belgium at: Laila.debruyne@interpret-europe.net or the trainer: vster@outlook.com

Do you want to read more about the course? Click on the button for more information.

About the course

Practical

Venue address & information

Sealcentre Pieterburen
Hoofdstraat 94a
9986 AG Pieterburen
The Netherlands

Phone: +31-595 526 526
Email: info@zeehondencentrum.nl

Contact person: Sander van Dijk, head of programming and content

Pieterburen can be reached by public transport from trainstation “Groningen”. Public transport can easily be planned via: https://9292.nl/en

Overview of lodging possibilities