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The KIT: World Heritage in Young Hands

World Heritage Education Kit

Sharing knowledge about heritage conservation with young people in the form of a journey through the world's magnificent cultural and natural heritage...

An innovative education concept!

The introduction of the World Heritage Education KIT has resulted in experimentation in many schools, adapting and building on the concept of World Heritage Education. Used at the grassroots level in Associated Schools in all five continents, the KIT is:

• based on an interdisciplinary approach seeking to involve teachers across curricula in raising awareness of young people of the importance of World Heritage;
• strives to incorporate World Heritage into the curriculum as a way of delivering core subjects and transverse themes in the classroom as well as through extra-curricular activities;
• focuses on creative and participatory methods of teaching, involving students in research, in collecting and analyzing data, in role-playing and simulation exercises, in information and communication technology, in taking part in well-planned field trips, and in conducting preservation campaigns.

Most importantly, the KIT promotes discussion and listening to others, resulting in re-affirmation of identity, whilst promoting mutual respect and respect for diversity. It serves as a valuable bridge for bringing together young people, teachers, heritage specialists and other stakeholders in a situation in which they learn together and from each other and which results in knowledge and appreciation for their local and world heritage.

Vital role of teachers and educators

The role of teachers and educators is of crucial importance for World Heritage education. The Kit, addressed to educators in the first instance, is therefore designed to stimulate teachers' and students' imagination and creativity so as to further enrich the pedagogic approach to heritage preservation. It is in partnership with them that UNESCO can best transmit the message of the World Heritage Convention to millions of young people who will include tomorrow's policy and decision-makers.

The making of the KIT

• An international working group developed the text and illustrative material.
• The main themes and concepts were tested on groups of teachers and pupils at the 1st European Regional World Heritage Youth Forum held in Croatia in 1996. The Forum participants drafted the text for the proposed five thematic sections and suggested student activities.
• At the 1^st African Regional World Heritage Youth Forum held in Zimbabwe in 1996 the draft text was discussed.
• The international working group then prepared the draft sections of the Kit including the activities for students. The draft manuscript was further developed by UNESCO staff.
• The draft was again amended in light of discussion and trials made of the activities at the 1^st Asia-Pacific World Heritage Youth Forum in Beijing held in 1997.
• The WHE Kit was first published in 1998 in English and French and distributed the following year for pilot testing to 700 Associated Schools in 130 countries.
• A slightly revised second edition was published in 2002.

The World Heritage in Young Hands Kit project is at a stage of evolutionary development. The content is being expanded to provide additional teaching ideas based on the experiences of teachers and students. The Kit is becoming more nationally and regionally focused, and more resource materials are being produced to complement the Kit. The KIT now exists in 30 national language versions and 1 regional adaptation (Pacific) produced in cooperation with National Commissions for UNESCO, UNESCO Field Offices and other partners.

Note: WHE will eventually be including in this section samples of national or local adaptations as well as activity and work sheets that have been developed in different countries.

• Angkor Relief Arts, Heart Activity, Cambodia

World Heritage in Young Hands

• Contents
• Educational approaches to World Heritage
• The World Heritage Convention
• World Heritage and identity
• World Heritage and tourism
• World Heritage and the environment
• World Heritage and a Culture of Peace
• Resource materials

The Kit proposes classroom and extra-curricular activities as well as student activity sheets, and provides a series of enlarged photographs of World Heritage sites, a poster, a World Heritage map and stickers to be used for classroom discussions.

Official UN languages

1. English (1998; 2002)
2. French (1999; 2002)
3. Spanish (1999, 2006)
4. Arabic (2003)
5. Chinese (1998)
6. Russian (2000)

National language versions

1. Armenian (2002)
2. Finnish (2002)
3. Georgian (2001)
4. German (2003)
5. Hindi (2004)
6. Hungarian (2006)
7. Indonesian (2001)
8. Italian (2002) * also in video format (2002)
9. Japanese (2000)
10. Khmer (2005)
11. Chinese
12. Kiswahili (2004)
13. Korean (RK/2003)
14. Korean (DPRK/2007)
15. Laotian (2001)
16. Latvian (2006)
17. Lithuanian (2004)
18. Mongolian (2004)
19. Philipino in CD format (2004)
20. Slovak (2002)
21. Swedish (2003)
22. Turkish (2002)
23. Urdu (2003)
24. Uzbek (2001)
25. Vietnamese (2001)

Other translations underway for publication

• Amharic (Ethiopia)
• Portuguese (for publication in CD format)

Regional version

•  
  • Our Pacific Heritage (2006) is an adaptation of the World Heritage in Young Hands Kit for the Pacific countries.

Other foreseen regional adaptations

• Caribbean (UNESCO Havana and UNESCO Chile)
• African