18 April 2018 - Theme

Every year on 18 April, ICOMOS celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites, whose establishment was approved by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983.

The 2018 theme for the ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites is Heritage for Generations led by the ICOMOS Emerging Professionals Working Group.

Sharing stories and the transfer of knowledge between generations is a crucial step in cultural development, characterising the human experience since time immemorial.

“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow” – Nelson Mandela

Download the 18 April 2018 leaflet - in English - French - Spanish - Russian - Farsi 

 The ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites Day 2018 seeks to celebrate:

• Inter-generational transfer of knowledge: engagement across the global community to emphasize the importance of knowledge exchange between generations to promote the ICOMOS ethos for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage;
• Youth leadership: Emerging Professionals in each country will take the lead in organising events that focus on reaching the younger members of the wider public community by showcasing the creative use of social media. 

Communication across generations of heritage practitioners generates enriching exchanges. Combining the knowledge of experienced practitioners with the energy and dynamism of newer members brings about a more holistic approach to ongoing initiatives.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites 2018 is an opportunity to emphasize the importance of intergenerational exchanges when it comes to safeguarding and celebrating our heritage. Activities to foster fruitful dialogue between generations may include, but are not limited to: conferences, lectures, training sessions, round-table discussions, poster sessions, pub nights involving Q&A sessions with younger and older members of professional and non-professional heritage communities, interactive site visits to heritage properties and others.

Information on events will be shared on social media as a central communication strategy of this year’s International Day for Monuments and Sites. The public campaign via social media will include:

A. Sharing via Social Media

From mankind’s earliest cave paintings to the genesis of the printed page, methods of communication continue to evolve. At the dawn of the so-called ‘information age’, heritage practitioners are presented with a multitude of options for exchanging information and voicing their ideas. Communication via social media and digital technologies has become the norm for learning in the classroom, practice and in the field for recording and interpreting.

Employing new communication technologies also facilitates the dissemination of ideas for the protection of cultural heritage. As part of the Day’s initiative, the hashtag #heritage4generations will be promoted to encourage individuals and groups to share their experiences with the global ICOMOS community and beyond. Those visiting a monument or attending events may use the hashtag to share why it is special to them and connect with others doing the same.

 National Committees in conjunction with their Emerging Professionals are encouraged to:

1. Take photographs of ICOMOS Emerging Professionals together with established professionals or a group with a background of a heritage site, monument, cultural landscape or perhaps documenting a cultural practice. Use catchy descriptions of the place, or a short quote or an interesting fact. Be creative! An interesting perspective or description could ignite a fresh view of the heritage site / cultural practice which can capture a local resident’s curiosity!
2. Upload the photos to the National Committees' social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram. Selected photographs will also be shared via the ICOMOS International social media. For those who would like to share their copyright-free photos to the ICOMOS International social media or website, please send the photos to epwg.communications@icomos.org (please explicitly mention that they are free of rights and who should be credited). A selection will be posted and added to the ICOMOS collaborative photobank at https://www.icomos.org/en/mediatheque;
3. Use the hashtags #heritage4generations and #ICOMOS to help spread awareness of the heritage sites and ICOMOS. Translate the #heritage4generations hashtag into your local language(s); the #ICOMOS hashtag would not vary from language to language;
4. Organise and participate in activities such as talks, debates and interviews between different generations of heritage practitioners, and share these via social media.

 

B. Contributing to the ICOMOS Video Collection

As well as the online sharing of images, ICOMOS National and International Scientific Committees are encouraged to organise forums, conferences, poster sessions, interviews, tours, and other activities that are video recorded and can be uploaded to the ICOMOS YouTube Channel or Facebook Group Page. The aim is to further foster the spirit of knowledge exchange between established practitioners, emerging professionals and the rest of the global community. Some of the video-recorded events will form a video collection captured from various areas of the world, representing the capacity, ingenuity and diversity of ICOMOS members of any age.

National Committees and International Scientific Committees in conjunction with their Emerging Professionals are encouraged to: 

1. Plan an event that can be video recorded via 'Facebook Live' and shared at the ICOMOS Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/29727787922/) or to be part of the ICOMOS YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI39Z5tdf8WTI3Gw7Zr3qRg).
2. Record videos that are not too long, lasting up to one hour for each event or location. The videos do not need to be of professional quality but clear enough for viewers. 
3. Hold new types of ICOMOS-affiliated events, involving both experienced practitioners and emerging professionals. These events should provide opportunities for emerging and more established members to share their views, research, breakthroughs, and ideas at an official ICOMOS event. These events should be seen as co-learning experiences, enabling the sharing of ideas.
4. Produce creative videos on interesting topics on heritage sites or monuments that have received little attention, in order to ignite new ideas on heritage practice and expertise.
5. For those interested to share their events on the ICOMOS YouTube Channel, please send the copyright-free videos or video links to epwg.communications@icomos.org so that the videos can be uploaded to the ICOMOS YouTube Channel.

 

C. Sample Images

Below are sample images of the National Youth Forum on Heritage, a 5-day inter-generational heritage event held in the Philippines in 2015, between heritage professionals and younger people interested in heritage. Various members from ICOMOS Philippines supported the event as facilitators and speakers. 

As an example, the hashtags #heritage4generations and #ICOMOS were added to the images using the guidelines provided above.

 

Let us know about your events !

Please inform the ICOMOS International Secretariat on planned 18 April events at the latest by 15 March 2018 so that we can publish them on the ICOMOS website and share your activities among the members of the world-wide ICOMOS family.

Please send the information to: calendrier@icomos.org using the format below (please use short sentences to enable a concise presentation and mention “18 April event – your country” in the email subject line):

Title of your event

Who? Organizers
What? Short presentation of the event
When?
Where? Country, town, address
Official contact
Official website
Attachments: Poster / leaflet

 

Images: Emerging Professionals meeting at the 19th General Assembly of ICOMOS, Delhi 2017 
Phillipines National Youth Forum on Heritage