Five youth-led projects bring together heritage and peacebuilding in the Arab States region
Following the success of the Arab World Heritage Young Professionals Forum, and continuing their sense of engagement and purpose beyond the participation in the Forum, five young professionals implemented follow-up projects in the region, making heritage accessible to all, and leveraging it as a channel for peacebuilding in the communities.
Through these projects, the participants put to practice the skills acquired during the Forum, particularly through the communication approaches, and took concrete actions towards the recommendations made by them in the Action Plan for the region.
The Follow-up to the Arab World Heritage Young Professionals Forum encouraged the participants to organize youth-led projects and supported them in becoming role models capable of sensitizing and mobilizing their peers, to explore and celebrate the relationship between heritage and peacebuilding.
The diversity in range, scale and geography of the projects is a testimony to the comprehensive insights provided during the Forum, and the implemented projects provide a way to qualitatively measure the positive impact created within the region, through the combined efforts of UNESCO, UNOCT, the Government of Canada, and the dedicated group of young heritage professionals from the Arab States Region.
The engagement of the participants in establishing heritage as a channel of peace in the Arab Sates region has borne fruit through the success of these projects, which continue to be developed and evolved, engaging the communities around, as they do so.
World Heritage sites in Tunisia
Participant: Mr Mohamed Ali Midani
Organization: Digital Cultural Experience
Project Title: World Heritage sites in Tunisia
Format: Virtual; web and mobile application
Geographical Scope: Tunisia
Contact: midani@dcx.tn
Digital Cultural Experience developed a web and mobile application named “World Heritage Sites in Tunisia” featuing an interactive map, engaging audioguides and 360° pictures, to promote the 7 cultural World Heritage sites of the country, among young people using new technologies.
Medina Stories
Participant: Ms Nassima Chahboun
Organization: Association de la Culture Numérique Libre - Clibre
Project Title: Medina Stories
Format: Virtual; online edit-a-thon, photography contest,
digital application for web and mobile
Geographical Scope: Maghreb region
Contact: arch.nassimachahboun@gmail.com
With the aim to create free educational material about peace, coexistence and cultural diversity surrounding 10 Maghreb Medinas inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Association Clibre launched the Medina Stories Campaign which conducted an online edit-a-thon and photography contest to involve the youth in the region, and created a digital application for both web and mobile where the content generated through these activities can be accessed.
MediWander
Participant: Ms Yoldez Halleb
Organization: Association Sousse Demain
Project Title: MediWander
Format: Virtual game; mobile app
Geographical Scope: Tunisia
Contact: yoldezhalleb@gmail.com
The virtual mobile game service MediWander was developed to attract and sensitize the youth of Tunisia to discover the richness of their heritage. The audience has to follow the map to identify the 20 monuments around the medina, collect virtual tokens and take a quiz at the end of the game.
Heritage Buildings of Dhi Qar and Maysan in the South of Iraq: Documenting the Deterioration and Threats
Participant: Mr Muntadher Aloda
Organization: Iraqi Development Association for Human Development
Project Title: Heritage Buildings of Dhi Qar and Maysan in the South of Iraq: Documenting the Deterioration and Threats
Format: Digital geodatabase; on-site workshops and trainings
Geographical Scope: Iraq
Contact: ahmed.inna44@gmail.com
The project documented and assessed 40 heritage buildings in the Dhi Qar and Maysan governorates located in southern Iraq, well known for their diverse heritage, leading to the creation of a digital geo-database.
Eternal Heritage : from Palmyra to the Old City Of Sana’a
Participant: Ms Ilham Younes
Organization: Patrimoine d’Orient
Project Title: Eternal Heritage : from Palmyra to the Old City Of Sana’a
Format: Print and Digital publication; promotional videos
Geographical Scope: Arab States
Contact: ilham.younes@yahoo.fr
The project gathered testimonies of youth on their connection to their heritage, compiling them into a publication presenting emblematic sites from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, accompanied by illustrations from young artists from the region.
Co-funded by:
