II Outstanding Cases （Vol.1）

Residents gathered together to draw “Ugly Little Miner”

The main innovation element of the case study lies in matching UNESCO and World Heritage values and French Social Action objectives. The project focuses on understanding what international heritage is and how to protect it but also on understanding that beyond the differences between people (religion, language, culture…), there is first a common history and some solidarities. Through the World Heritage, it is a contribution for learning tolerance and alterity and fighting against all types of discrimination. The tale “the ugly little headgear” is one of the most significant elements of this case study general philosophy. 

The second innovation of the case study lies in the project’s cooperation framework. It puts together, in an exceptional way, a diversity of partners and stakeholders from different sectors, with specific expertise and authority, with professionals not only coming from cultural heritage conservation and promotion fields and backgrounds. They include inhabitants themselves, five social centres, Mission Bassin Minier, state services, city of Valenciennes.

Tourists hold World Heritage activities on the lawn

• Matching UNESCO and World Heritage values and French Social Action objectives: peace keeping, respect of justice, law and human rights, fundamental freedoms, respect for cultural diversity, human dignity, democracy and solidarity… The case study also combines Social Action and Sustainable Development objectives: culture, creativity, social inclusion, popular education, and fight against discrimination.

• The framework of the project itself, gathering in a long-time scale approach and in a perfect balance, stakeholders from different sectors, with different expertise and authority, each playing their respective parts: inhabitants, social centres, Mission Bassin Minier, state services, City of Valenciennes.

1. Involving children and teenagers through some art projects: The Dachban project was formed with this message “Art for all children”. Shserop team held some sessions in Sheikhdad, the historic neighbourhood of Yazd, for all children including those who are not in a good economic condition so every child and teenager could practice painting.

2. Participation: Painting was an indirect way of involving children’s opinions in the process. The painting was a beginning. Various other actions took place along the way; like walking in the neighbourhood and exploring it with children, telling stories to them. We asked them to identify the insecure parts of the neighbourhood and tell the reason for the insecurity. Besides, the children, at their request, became in charge of the Sheikhdad Children’s Library. In the meanwhile, we held also some sessions for mothers, so we could also involve women and ask about their needs.

3. Conservation: We could build trust and create a sense of responsibility towards heritage in children and take objective and practical steps to preserve the heritage.

The main objectives in this project are to engage the local community especially the youth of Sheikhdad in improving the quality of their living environment, sensitizing them to the historical fabric, and raising public awareness of the tangible and intangible values of cultural heritage.

In this project, education and participation are intertwined and integrated, and an attempt has been made to introduce the concept of heritage conservation in the weekly life cycle of children with a continuous program, and everyday collaborative education to occur.

Efforts were made in group activities such as preparing a mind map, thematic and free drawings, building a local library on children’s cooperation with each other, responsibility and leadership of children in three stages of planning, action and emphasize evaluation, which promotes self-confidence, self-esteem, and independence of neighbourhood children. During these processes, more training and necessary assistance are provided to children at the request and feeling of need.

In conveying educational concepts to children, efforts were made to use methods and tools that include children’s perceptual components (imagination, entertainment, narration, innovation and technology, adventure, etc.) and also to revive indigenous and historical cultural patterns in practice and ideas. For example, indigenous occasional activities such as Taziyeh were revived by children, and animation was made for children to narrate the history of the neighbourhood.

Children and artists in the neighborhood

In the next issue, we will present two outstanding cases: “Smithsonian Education Project for Digital Access to China’s Terracotta Army” (Sino-US) and “National Youth World Heritage Education Program” (China). We will discover their innovative features in “promoting multi-disciplinary integration through cross-boundary innovations and exploring a new model of multi-party cooperation through internal and external combination”.