Culture Ant Project, first launched in 2002, is an educational model aiming to introduce children to the cultural heritage, foster love in their hearts for cultural properties by stimulating their emotional intelligence, motivate a feeling of ownership for these monuments, and raise awareness and a will to protect them.
The conviction that recognition and awareness of the need to protect the cultural heritage requires an education which should start at early ages was one of the drivers of the project. It was because of this reason that the project was constructed and implemented by a project team comprising educational specialists, pedagogues, art historians, psychologists and tourism professionals.
The project which has been ongoing for fifteen years uninterruptedly involves small groups of schoolchildren, under the guidance of counselors, take part in a student-centered, on-site and perceptual learning model in wide variety of environments, in the class-room, in the field or by means of hands-on artistic training.
This training model is applied for a period of one or two years depending on the location of the schools covered. At the initial stage 6th and 7th grade students are targeted followed by the parents and teachers as the second stage. Cultural properties are introduced to children on the site by professional tour guides and academics. Then what they have learnt at the site are reinforced by music, painting, collage, ceramic tile and drama practices that reinvigorate their artistic talents
As a result of all these activities that complement one another in a thematic, routing and artistic consolidation process, the change in the participants’ awareness levels and sensitivities in connection with the cultural heritage is measured and reported.
The Project carried out with the efforts of counsellors and Cultural Volunteers guiding the classroom, field and artistic activities aims to ensure that children and young people:
- gain awareness of themselves and their environment,
- deeply understand the importance and power of education, science and knowledge,
- recognise, embrace and protect their cultural properties,
- share what they have learned with others, and
- translate the information, skills and approach they have gained into lasting behavioural changes.
Culture Ants Project won the 2010 “Cultural Heritage Education” award of the Europe Nostra, the EU body conducting work for public awareness for cultural property.
For further information, being a member of the Culture Volunteers group, or making a donation please visit the website www.kulturkarincalari.org