The Team have just finished delivering this year’s series of Education workshops. They took place in Sunderland, Hull, Liverpool and Norwich. We knew from organisers and visitors that art or photographic exhibitions, dance displays, junior guides and trails etc can provide an extra dimension to the interpretation of a Heritage Open Days site. These activities encourage more visitors and enable young people to learn more about their local heritage. So the aim of the workshops, this year, was to promote the idea of Heritage Open Days Summer projects, where schools and organisers can work together to use their local buildings to create displays, performances and/or exhibitions that can be shown over the Heritage Open Days weekend. The feedback from these workshops has shown that everyone appreciated the opportunity to network and develop ideas. There certainly seemed to be some very interesting possible partnerships.

If you were involved please let the Heritage Open Days team know how your partnerships progress.

The HODs Education Team has also been working with the NYA (National Youth Agency) to offer organisers a series of four workshops to discuss ideas for the expansion of Heritage Open Days events to involve local community youth groups. These workshops were held in Leeds, London, Newcastle and Exeter. They proved very successful and a number of organisers wish to explore the possibilities of working with Scouts, Guides and other volunteer youth groups.

The HODs Education manager is a member of the steering group for the South West Heritage V team. V is an independent charity that has been set up to inspire a new generation of young volunteers. V is aiming to involve at least 1 million more 16 – 25 year olds in volunteering and community action. The Heritage Open Days event is obviously an ideal opportunity to fulfil this objective. If you run a youth group or are interested in finding out about possible funding, help and advice is available on www.wearev.com or contact us for further information.

Following the success of the Education Team’s publications, the Organisers' Handbook and the Teacher's Pack, both of which are available on the HODs website (www.heritageopendays.org) a number of new web-based resources are being developed. The new Teachers resources are intended to develop the idea of the individuals’ awareness of civic/community responsibility (Citizenship). We aim to use the pupils/students personal experience, working with the places and spaces that form their local community. Teachers will have the opportunity to select activities from a set of downloadable resources about generic community buildings – living places, places of transport, and places of faith - and adapt them to the appropriate level for their pupils/students. These Online Resources will be available from the end of September. Other resources on places of leisure, places of work, open spaces etc will be created as further funding becomes available.

Please contact the Heritage Open Days Team for more information.

Over the last three years we have tried not only to encourage teachers to work with Heritage Open Days organisers, but we have also tried to encourage schools to open their own buildings during the weekend. Opening a school for Heritage Open Days can be a very positive experience for the whole community. We now have at least 120 “Places of Learning” open for Heritage Open Days. There are universities, like UEA, large independent schools, like Rugby and local primary schools like St John’s in Redhill who invite their neighbours to look at exhibitions and displays, and experience life in a school in the 21 st century. These events provide huge potential for pupils/students to learn about their school and their neighbourhood. They also create opportunities for inter-generational reminiscence work and oral history.

If you would like more help or information about opening your school, please look at the current Organisers Handbook on the HODs web site (www.heritageopendays.org/education/organisers.shtml). A new version of the Handbook will be available later this year or please contact the Heritage Open Days Team for help or advice.

Please contact us for further information.

So we have finally reached the end of our three year contract. There are now many more “family friendly” Heritage Open Days events, we have seen some marvellous partnerships between organisers and schools and seen some excellent projects. We also know, as mentioned above, that over 120 places of learning, are open for the weekend. Hopefully these projects will continue to grow and flourish over the coming years. We would like to thank all the people that have helped us over the last few years, the national HODs team, Katja Condy, Clare Broomfield, and Ann Vink ( Katja’s Maternity replacement), the Organisers, the volunteers and visitors and especially the schools and teachers. The present team have had a wonderful time meeting you all and we will miss the project greatly.

Once again, THANK YOU ALL!

Ann Todd, HODs Education Manager, and Yael Altman, HODs Education Co-ordinator.

Post:
Heritage Open Days
The Civic Trust
2nd Floor
Essex Hall
1-6 Essex Street
London
WC2R 3HU

Telephone:
0870 240 5251

Fax:
020 7539 7901

Contacts:

Clare Broomfield
Heritage Open Days Co-ordinator
Tel.: 0870 240 5251
Email: hods@civictrust.org.uk

Ann Todd
Heritage Open Days Education Manager
Tel.: 020 7539 7923
Email: atodd@civictrust.org.uk

Ann Vink
Acting Heritage Open Days Manager
Tel.: 020 7539 7917
Email: avink@civictrust.org.uk

Please contact us for further information.