Photo: Man on Bicycle – EHD Story, Moldova, 2024 photo credit, Gheorghe Sova - Asociatia Obsteasca Alianta Intre Generatii

Here are some ideas for how to support individuals and communities in participating in protecting and appreciating Heritage at Risk during this season of European Heritage Days. 

Highlight opportunities, provide support and host community events 

“Three years ago, people came to a party and asked: "What's that tower?" I started explaining and took them up. The couple literally said: "You'd make a good guide!” Translated from Dutch, this is the story about how one of the Ambassadors for Open Monument Day in Flanders started hosting tours of a historic building for European Heritage Days. And with over 2,500 event organisers and 44,000 volunteers taking part in Heritage Open Days in England last year, it’s clear that many people want to get involved in creating events and supporting heritage organisations which often need extra resourcing during European Heritage Days. Social media, newsletters and press releases can all help get the word out about these roles, as well increasing awareness of how people can participate by creating their own community-led activities. Just try to provide early notice about opportunities like this to allow people enough time to apply and make plans.

Spotlighting the passion of active EHD participants through case studies, interviews or recognition schemes can also inspire others to take part, such as the Ambassador program in Belgium above which creates profiles of individuals with an interest in heritage through personal perspectives about their work and recommendations of their favourite places which can be visited during the festivities. Encouraging submissions of narratives for European Heritage Days Stories can also draw attention to the work people are doing to support their cultural heritage, such as in this Story which describes how a man in Moldova travelled across the country reviving the use of traditional instruments such the accordion and whistles.

Other efforts to boost participation might focus on getting specific audiences involved. For example, working with schools or universities could help with hosting a conference such as a Heritage at Risk Youth Summit. This could bring young people together to discuss issues and propose solutions for safeguarding cultural or natural heritage with their peers. Another option could be a Community Storytelling Festival to reach out to individuals from diverse backgrounds to share community knowledge through stories and connections to endangered heritage. Support for communities might also include providing resources to further empower them in preserving their heritage. For example, digital skills could be taught for an online photography or archival project which is documenting disappearing local heritage, while training in recording, editing and production of oral histories could help with the creation of audio guides or podcasts featuring personal memories about local identity and endangered heritage traditions.

Encourage interactive and creative activities

Interactive activities are a great way to involve visitors in the European Heritage Days theme. For example, creative workshops can be tailored for any age group and could communicate Heritage at Risk topics through teaching unique local methods of crafts like pottery making, traditional skills such as calligraphy using letters or words from regional or minority languages or cultural customs such as folk songs and dances. Drop-in sessions can work particularly well for families, while cooking and baking events also have wide appeal and could be used to help share knowledge about lesser-known or historic recipes. Food events might additionally focus on disappearing culinary practices, such as seen in this European Heritage Days Story from Sweden where a group of volunteers decided to revive the rituals of Kaffikalas events by researching and catering these traditional types of formal social occasions. “The older generation gets to relive some of the rituals of their childhood Kaffikalas, whilst younger generations and people with different backgrounds learn to appreciate this particular expression of Gotlandic heritage” say the storytellers who are keeping this tradition alive on the island of Gotland by serving a variety of cakes flavoured with saffron and cinnamon.

Competitions are another format option which can help motivate people to share their personal connections to heritage traditions, stories or sites. Take a look at the Monument Snapshots competition from Open Monument Day in Germany or Wiki Loves Monuments for inspiration about cultural heritage photography, or consider the opportunities for storytelling through films using archival footage and interviews. Another way to encourage participation can be to bring people together in making one joint creative work. One idea suggested in this year’s brochure for organisers is making a heritage quilt where individuals each sew a patch representing an aspect of local heritage which matters to them which are then combined into one larger textile. Painting a mural in a public space is another example of a collaborative creative event which could focus on endangered heritage through images chosen by the community of traditional crafts, customs or historic buildings at risk. 

Promote linguistic diversity and cross-border collaboration

Contacting local history societies and community groups is always a useful way to make connections with people to help plan, host and support European Heritage Days events. This year, this approach could be particularly helpful in finding language spokespersons as part of the Heritage at Risk strand based on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This element aims to ensure these voices are heard in public places, such as through museum audio guides or labels which can enhance understanding of the influence of these languages on place names, music, customs and daily life. Supporting linguistic diversity could also take place through special screenings at cinemas showing films featuring a range of spoken or subtitled languages, which depending on location might include languages such as Cornish in the UK, Limburgish in the Netherlands or Romansh in Switzerland. Other events could look at the intangible heritage and identity embodied by these languages such as tastings at local food businesses or restaurants where people could try traditional dishes alongside learning about their names and connected stories in regional or minority languages. 

Another way to ensure diverse participation is to work with organisers from other places and reinforce the pan-European nature of European Heritage Days. For example, an international exchange event could invite representatives from different countries to discuss and share case studies and strategies for protecting heritage facing similar risks. European Heritage Label Sites are one potential way to find cross-border partnerships and could provide spaces to host events such as language or cultural exchange workshops. Sustainable cultural tourism could also be promoted through the theme, perhaps based on one of the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes which unites sites across a wide range of topics such as historic gardens, thermal towns and ceramic art. 

More information about the Heritage at Risk theme, alongside event ideas and supporting resources can be found in this year’s brochure for organisers as well as banners available for download Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine.