Learning and Exchange Program
“Transforming a community through sustainable management of cultural heritage”
Location: St. John’s Fortress Educational Campus in Šibenik, Croatia
Date: from June 30 to July 7, 2024
Background
The idea came after the participation of Fortress of Culture at the Policy labs organized in Vienna as a joint project of ERSTE Foundation and the Ministry of Culture and Information of Ukraine in 2022.
Fortress of Culture director Gorana Barišić Bačelić was among other respectable international, interdisciplinary experts who participated in the CPL and help developed practical recommendations for the preservation of Ukraine’s cultural heritage as a way of contributing to the country’s post war transition and EU accession through capacity building of Ukrainian experts in the fields of culture. The leading objective and one of the foundations that support such capacity building is developing relationships with good practices of sustainable heritage management.
Ukraine’s EU candidate status signifies a need to prepare Ukrainian professional working in the field of heritage, culture, tourism and CCI to apply for pre-accession and recovery funds by developing a strategy and action plan to appeal to the EU. The Croatian PCI Fortress of Culture Šibenik went through a very similar path and it is recognized at the international level as an example of sustainable management of cultural heritage financed by EU founds.
To address the challenges the partners: Erste Stiftung Foundation and PCI Fortress of Culture are initiating on-site Learning and exchange programme - Transforming a community through sustainable management of cultural heritage to support and relish cultural heritage as an asset in Ukraine recovery.
The programme is envisaged to open new, different perspectives to participants via in-depth knowledge and expertise exchange, inspire by presenting good practices and visits to the sites the institution manages, enhance teamwork and brainstorming among participants, use creative thinking methods to develop new ideas and concepts on sustainable re-use and heritage management.
Overview of the Program; The Learning and Exchange Program "Transforming a Community through Sustainable Management of Cultural Heritage" represented a collaborative effort between the Erste Foundation and PCI Fortress of Culture Šibenik. This initiative aimed to enhance the capacities of Ukrainian professionals and students in the field of heritage and culture management. The program, created by the team of experts at Fortress of Culture Šibenik and supported by Erste Foundation, brought together cultural professionals to deepen their expertise in sustainable heritage management and revitalization.
The program offered a unique opportunity for cultural professionals to deepen their expertise in sustainable heritage management and revitalization. Key focus areas included:
- Revitalizing cultural heritage in Šibenik’s historical and local context, transforming from a post-war industrial city to a vibrant creative and tourist community.
- Rebuilding heritage infrastructure with EU funds, using PCI as a model of successful implementation.
- Exploring sustainable management models in public cultural institutions, exemplified by the entrepreneurial and environmentally sustainable efforts at Fortress of Culture Šibenik.
- Enhancing audience development and marketing to increase public engagement and awareness of cultural heritage.
- Fostering international collaboration through peer-to-peer exchange and collaborative projects.
- Leveraging digital technologies for the valorization and presentation of heritage.
INTELECTUAL PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT
Fortress of Culture Šibenik holds all the rights of the programme “Transforming communities through sustainable management of cultural heritage”, meaning the presentations and lectures prepared by Fortress of Culture expert team will not be used by other parties and for other purposes without the written permission of the institution.
