YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FORUM LAB

Cultural Heritage Professions toward the future. Scenarios, futures, opportunities for conservation

professions after the pandemic. Questions and perspectives from the professionals of tomorrow

 

The impact of the current pandemic and its effects on the social, economic and cultural sphere are debated on a global scale: the survival of the cultural heritage and the vital link between conservation and fruition, cultural heritage and communities, are measured today in new contexts.

We are witnessing a paradigm shift that will affect our future and the future of our professions. For these reasons, the second edition of the Young Professionals Forum aims to offer its participants a section dedicated to "Cultural Heritage Professions towards the future", a moment to capture this transition, understanding the difficulties involved in overcoming it and the opportunities for redefining practices and methodologies.

The focus on future generations is at the core of the G20 Culture, which will be held in Rome on the 29th and 30th July 2021. On the occasion of this event, the Forum wants to contribute with a reflection on the same themes.
 

Y20 International Consultations

This year on 3 July, for the first time ever, youth associations from all over the world will have the opportunity to make their voices heard at the Official International Consultations of Y20, the official G20 engagement group chaired by Young Ambassadors Society. 

We will be there to share the outcomes of our Young Professionals Forum Lab “CULTURAL HERITAGE PROFESSIONS TOWARD THE FUTURE” and help bring the ideas of young people to the G20. 

Follow the live session on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/YoungAmbassadorsItaly

More information about Y20 on https://www.y20italy.it/

 

TOPICS

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the system of protection, management and enhancement of cultural heritage has been put to the test and some of its intrinsic fragility has been amplified. At the same time, in this emergency, we can recalibrate priorities, introduce new tools and organizational methods, develop more effective strategies, and consciously plan the next targets.

The workshop of the Forum aims to encourage participation in this extraordinary moment of elaboration by young professionals of cultural heritage.

  • Which elements are inexorably changing and what is the impact of this change on the future of our actions, goals and work?
  • How can we guarantee the protection of cultural testimonies in contexts of crisis (historical, political, environmental, cultural crisis)?
  • What impact will technologies, the digital universe and artificial intelligence have on the preservation, use and transmission systems of cultural heritage?
  • And what professional skills will be needed for the fullest expression of these new scenarios?
  • The criterion of sustainability remains crucial in all its different forms, from the economic ones, aimed at identifying the most appropriate management models, to the guidelines of scientific research: how can we urge initiatives and solutions that are compatible with the well-being of people, the integrity of the environment and the social balance?

Many of these issues are already part of the agenda of the G20 Culture, focused on People, Planet and Prosperity, and which has also identified among its priorities a reflection on the interaction between culture, training and education. The digital acceleration and the reduction of distances, both physical and cultural, have become part of this last year of our closest horizon.

  • From the point of view of the exercise of our professions do we think we have the necessary tools or do we think we need to strengthen our skills and knowledge?
  • What is the relationship between specialist and transversal skills, and how do we consider it useful to encourage continuous updating?
  • What importance do we attach to international experience in terms of professional mobility, co-design opportunities and training opportunities for the exchange of skills?

PARTNERS

The Young Professionals Forum Lab "Cultural Heritage Professions toward the future" provides parallel work tables, for reflection on the proposed topics, coordinated by the mentors and institutions involved.

  • CCR
  • Fondazione Santagata 
  • ICCROM 
  • ICOM
  • ICOMOS

WORKING GROUPS
 

  1. ICCROM - Communities and heritage conservation;
  2. ICOM - Acceleration of technological change and hyper-connectivity versus cultural heritage conservation, management, use and transmission;
  3. ICOMOS - Competence, cooperation and capacity for education in cultural heritage: knowledge, skills and opportunities;
  4. Fondazione Santagata and CCR - Integrating heritage management and conservation

Working group 1

Mentors ICCROM: Valerie Magar, Unit Manager, Programmes; Aparna Tandon, Senior Programme Leader, First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis, Digital Heritage

Topic: Communities and heritage conservation

This working group will center its reflection on the theme of communities and heritage, presenting an overview of methodologies for community involvement, followed by case studies where communities have an important role to play in heritage conservation, and cases where the heritage places have also offered opportunities for communities to face disaster situations, or the current pandemic of Covid-19. The working group will identify a set of good practice guidelines useful to strengthen the capacities of young professionals to enhance the integration of heritage conservation with community involvement.

The session will include:
·  An introductory overview of the importance of community participation, and the potential role of youth in conservation and management;
·  Brief case-studies/examples on how youth can help in Disaster Risk Response, emergency response, and post-COVID recovery;
·  Presentation and participatory game (with the participants involved in the mentoring session) on assessing capacities and vulnerabilities associated with heritage;
·  IDEAS Lab, in which participants will be divided in groups, to propose simple ideas on how they can work with communities in a given place;
·  Round of questions and comments;
·  Closing.

Working group 2

Mentors ICOM: Federica Manoli, member of the National Board - ICOM Italia; Maddalena d'Alfonso, ICAMT Board member

Topic: Acceleration of technological change and hyper-connectivity versus cultural heritage conservation, management, use and transmission

One of the most relevant megatrends (processes capable of producing long-term global change) identified by the EU concerns the development and acceleration of scientific discoveries, new technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence, hyper-connectivity and augmented reality. This causes the unavoidable transformation of management and governance systems in all fields. The working group will discuss, also through case studies presented by participants, the impact of all this on the conservation, management, use and transmission of cultural heritage and identify opportunities and new paradigms for the future. 

Six issues will be discussed:
1 - What kind of technological acceleration are Museums experiencing in this period?

2 - Which technological acceleration would be desirable?

3 – Are Museums hyperconnected?

4 – Does technology make museum management more sustainable?

5 - Does technology make museum conservation processes more sustainable?

6 – Technology and Human presence in museums: professionals and visitors

Working group 3

Mentors ICOMOS: Maria Teresa Jaquinta, Coordinator Scientific Education and Training Committee (CIF) – ICOMOS Italia; Sabatino Cecchini, Member Scientific Education and Training Committee (CIF) – ICOMOS Italia; Christian Biggi, Member Scientific Education and Training Committee (CIF) – ICOMOS Italia

Topic: Competence, cooperation and capacity for education in cultural heritage: knowledge, skills and opportunities

More than ever, heritage professionals need to develop / adjust multidisciplinary approaches in areas such as heritage documentation, disaster risk reduction, vulnerability assessment, conservation, education and training, and how heritage sites are presented to visitors. This working group will focus on the current challenges affecting cultural heritage by identifying complementary skills and competencies to be integrated into existing curricula to improve heritage resources management and respond to the challenges of the current historical moment. To this end the session will be organized as a simulation of a session of a G20 meeting. The participants will be asked to intervene and propose elements that would be included in a final declaration to be presented on occasion of the G20 Culture.

The session will include:
·  An introductory overview of the competence, cooperation and capacity for education in cultural    heritage: knowledge, skills and opportunities, and the potential role of youth in conservation and management;
·  Interventions by participants addressing the proposed theme;
·  Working group for the definition of the declaration;
·  Round of questions and comments;
·  Closing.

Working group 4

Mentors: Fondazione Santagata, Alessio Re, Secretary-general; CCR, Sara Abram, Secretary general.

Topic: Integrating heritage management and conservation within sustainable development processes

This working group will center its reflection on the capacities that young professionals should strengthen to ensure that heritage management and conservation is integrated within processes of sustainable development. This may include, on the one hand, a thorough understanding of the interrelations among cultural preservation, climate action and socio economic well-being, and on the other, advocating for the creation of an enabling and cooperative environment in the institutional and political milieu. Gathering learnings and inspiration from concrete experiences at the international level, the working group will also identify a set of good practice guidelines to enhance the positive impacts of the integration of heritage management and conservation within sustainable development processes.

 

To register for the event click here