Tacit knowledge emerging for a sustainable valorisation of the cultural heritage in rural and peripheral communities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Tacit knowledge emerging for a sustainable valorisation of the cultural heritage in rural and peripheral communities

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Rural development and urbanisation; Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Over many years the teams of volunteers who organise and manage the local cultural festivals and events have built up vast reservoirs of knowledge that is invaluable to their communities. While much of this knowledge is explicit and easily transmitted a significant proportion of it is tacit, based on know-how. Tacit knowledge is impossible to transmit through central media but it can be transmitted by lateral media.
Social media are excellent lateral media tools and can easily be designed to support the codification of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. This can greatly facilitate knowledge transfer. Preventing any loss of knowledge within the communities in question and safeguarding tacit knowledge for all communities is a key priority for partners that this project will address.
Based on the knowledge elements identified as critical by the senior volunteers to the role of cultural festival or event manager, partners have defined a bespoke curriculum framework complete with all required learning outcomes.
Partners developed an intergenerational mentoring programme to encourage the development of the next generation of cultural festival and event managers. They designed a mentor training programme for older volunteers and an induction to mentoring for potential mentees. Subsequently partners have organised and managed a range of volunteer shadowing opportunities during the local events and festivals.
The validation of prior learning was another turning point of VAL.oR project, facing the practical difficulties still present for the full application of this citizens’ right.
Beyond the EU guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning produced by Cedefop in 2009, we developed national/regional Step-by-Step Guides, with the possibility to make just an exercise in style, because by now this procedure seems to be still far for its full application in all countries involved.
VAL.oR envisages 3 specific primary target groups (a) adult education staff and management especially those interested in the validation of non-formal and informal learning; (b) senior volunteers who are members of local cultural festival and event management committees; (c) next generation volunteers who support the running of local cultural festivals and events.
The partnership is composed by a VET centre, an AE public centre and a national association engaged in the safeguard of cultural and natural heritage in IT, in BG one HE institution, in RO an AE association, in IE a county body and an enterprise expert in multimedia, in FI an IT company, and in PT one Municipality.
The work programme comprised:
(1) A research and needs analysis process to identify the learning outcomes for the curriculum, accreditation of prior learning models, tacit knowledge management models
(2) The design, development and testing of the bespoke induction to pedagogy training for senior volunteers
(3) The design, development and testing of the new accredited cultural festival and event manager curriculum
(4) The development of the step-by-step guide to support the accreditation of prior learning for the senior volunteers, and not only
(5) The design, development and testing of the on-line tacit knowledge codification tools
(6) The design, development and testing of the on-line observatory of local cultural festivals and events
(7) The new induction to pedagogy training will comprise approximately 30 hours of learning for seniors and the curriculum for youngsters will comprise 150 hours of study (40h. face-to-face and 110h. on-line self-study).
(8) Validating project outputs with all target groups was one of the key activities where partners invested time and resources in throughout the project life-cycle.
Pilots were run in 5 countries: Bulgaria, Ireland, Romania, Portugal and Italy (Abruzzo and Lazio), cooperating with the established local working groups throughout the project life-cycle. VAL.oR proposes a new approach to sustaining local and regional cultural heritage and the economic benefits that accrue to communities from well managed and organised festivals and events. The new pedagogic resources and on-line environments developed will be inexpensive to use; will require little in terms of on-going investment to maintain; and the course-ware developed are available as an OER to all interested training providers or service providers. For all partners, both within the consortium and those institutional and community based partners who participate in the local working groups, the tools and resources developed are incorporated into their core service provision and form an integral part of service delivery into the future.
The final IOs were diffused to an audience of more than 16,400 indirect users, including the 700 associations members of the silent partner, the Swiss Federation of Continuing Training. We expect to have long term impacts, keeping our commitment beyond the EY of Cultural Heritage in 2018.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 299844 Eur

Project Coordinator

SPEHA FRESIA SC & Country: IT

Project Partners

• FUTURE IN PERSPECTIVE LIMITED
• Italia Nostra Onlus
• CPIA 4 CENTRO PROV.LE DI ISTRUZ. ADULTI
• MEATH COMMUNITY RURAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP LIMITED
• MUNICIPIO DE LOUSADA
• INNOVENTUM OY
• Asociatia pentru Educatie si Dezvoltare Durabila