This European Conference on Voluntary Organisations in the Field of Heritage will address the issues of active citizenship, civil society and volunteer organisations within the European heritage sector. The conference will provide a platform for European organisations active in all fields of heritage, both tangible and intangible.

The conference will involve a selected group of European participants representing the diversity of the European civil society for heritage. The delegates will predominantly be representatives of European heritage NGOs and prominent European heritage experts.

This years conference will focus more on active participation and discussion and should result in a representative declaration on voluntary organisations active in the field of heritage. There will also be an info market and poster session to present interesting projects and activities.

Themes include:
- Sustainable Cultural Heritage
- The Role of Heritage Organisations
- Cultural Heritage and Digital Technology
- The Value of Cultural Heritage for Society
- Creation of (International) Heritage Networks
- …

We are urgently searching for descriptions or nominations of inspiring practices and heritage projects in Europe, in which heritage organisations (especially those working for or with volunteers) or networks in civil society play an interesting role. Do you know such good practices in your own or other European countries? Please share the information and send us a short description of such project(s), mentioning the coordinates (URL, address, …) with a motivation why you consider it as an interesting example. Of course you can present one of your own projects, practices or organisations, but we would particularly appreciate that you also draw our attention to initiatives elsewhere in Europe or in your country that merit special consideration. The most interesting examples will be discussed at the European Conference on Civil Society Organisations active in the Field of Heritage, which will be held in Mechelen, Belgium (March 23-24, 2009).

Please note these dates. This conference is sponsored by the European Commission and the Flemish government. It will be a platform for European organisations active in all fields of heritage – both tangible and intangible – to share relevant experiences, good practices and success stories.

Themes include, but are not limited to:

• support of voluntary heritage initiatives
• quality management in heritage NGOs
• visibility of heritage organisations
• creation of (international) heritage networks
• the value of cultural heritage for society
• intercultural dialogue

Please help us at this stage to identify promising, innovative or thought-provoking heritage projects in Europe. We are looking forward to receive your suggestions by September 30, 2008. Please send your suggestions to conference@heritageorganisations.eu. We will be sending important information about the conference venue, accommodation and registration in the next announcement in October 2008. All information about the conference will be available at www.heritageorganisations.eu.

You’ll find all powerpoints also on our SlideShare account.

A small picture gallery can be found here. If you have more pictures of the conference, please send them to conference@heritageorganisations.eu.

Confirmed posters

- The “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre (Lublin, Poland)
- Kulturklammer – centar za kulturne interakcije (Serbia)
- Cork Northside Folklore Project (Ireland)
- Baltic Heritage Network
- Church of Sweden: the involvement of local stakeholders in assessing the significance of churches
- Iniziative Demo-Etno-Antropologiche e di Storia Orale in Toscana (Italy)
- The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (UK)
- The Chudow Castle Fund (Poland)
- Stichting Europees Cultureel Erfgoed
- Regional Historic Centre and Archives Sittard-Geleen (Netherlands)
- Stichting Bomenbuurt Griffioen Middelburg (Netherlands)

DVDs
- Let’s see the World in Hungary (Hungarian National Committee of ICOMOS)
- The Old-Limburgian Schuttersfeast as intangible cultural heritage (Belgium-Netherlands)
- Treasures of Amsterdam (Bosch Film)