The OWHL (Our Way Heritage Lives) Project brings together 7 partners representing a range of organisations that provide learning in European cultural heritage to adults in situations where they face challenges of small organisational capacity or geographic isolation. Individually the organisations share a wealth of experiences and ideas about how to address common challenges such as the best use of digital media, working with volunteer staff, managing geographic and climatic conditions, engaging with diversity among learners and staff and communicating local cultural heritage within its wider context. The project will share best practices between staff through a series of joint training events, one in each country over 3 years. Here we will see each others situation, experience each others teaching methods, and discuss how we might adapt these to our own situations. Different staff will go on different visits to embed the learning across our organisations and it will be documented in a handbook that can be shared outside the partnership. Through the project we will gain a better understanding of our shared European cultural heritage and, in this context, what is the distinctive contribution of our own people and places. We aim to create a supportive network between our organisations that will be a legacy of the project to be shared with others.
Specific objectives of the project included (a) To exchange & share best practice & increase mutual knowledge & understanding of tools & methodologies used to support adult learners in cultural heritage. All the partners had a common focus on living history through craftmanship in historical skills, tools & practices (b) To develop a sustainable transnational professional network of museums (c) To develop new tools & methodologies to enhance the skills & competencies of staff seeking to develop adult learning opportunities & reach new target groups (d) To jointly develop new approaches to addressing challenges faced by museums/cultural heritage organisations such as limited organisational capacity, geographical isolation, working with volunteer staff, developing more effective digital media/marketing, & extending activities beyond traditional tourist seasons & through this increasing sustainability (e) To increase visitor numbers including through improving the quality of the visitor experience & greater engagement of disadvantaged people / minority groups. (f) To develop a digital handbook summarizing best practice identified & using this to support mainstreaming & dissemination at local, regional national & transnational levels. All physical TPM meetings were arranged and followed by the physical LTT activities. For the reason to be more sustainable to the environment and reduce travels, this was also more effective and economical for the project.
The overall aim of the Our Way Heritage Lives (OWHL) project was to bring together 7 partner organisations from 5 countries providing learning opportunities in European cultural heritage to share best practice, address common challenges, identify new ways of engaging more adults in learning about & participating in cultural heritage & achieve greater future sustainability. The project was initiated by the Gamla Linköping Open- Air museum after a Transnational Cooperative Activity (TCA) in Spain and the lead partner organised a series of preparatory meetings with the other partners during which common needs were identified.This work was supplemented by further background research by the partners into the needs of small cultural heritage organisations. Key issues identified included (a) The need for new tools & methods for staff to develop their skills & enhance adult learning opportunities at local/regional levels (b) The need to identify new ways of addressing common challenges including limited organisational capacity, geographic isolation, working with volunteer staff & communicating about cultural heritage issues more effectively (c) The need to overcome the constraints of seasonal activity & make facilities more accessible throughout the year. (d) Engaging minorities & disadvantaged groups more effectively.