Community of Practice - Heritage of Future Past

Background 

Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth is a British Council programme taking place in Colombia, Kenya and Viet Nam, exploring the use of cultural heritage for growth that benefits all levels of society. In Vietnam, the in-country Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth project – known as Heritage of Future Past – works with music and film heritage, in particular valuable aspects that are under-represented or at high risk of disappearing. 

Implemented through two interlinked strands—Community Culture Heritage and Film-Archive-Music Lab (FAMLAB)—the former safeguards cultural heritage in target communities, while the latter engages the broader creative industry. This includes artists and practitioners, serving as a catalyst for collaborative projects involving Vietnam's music and film heritage through contemporary pathways. From 2021, Heritage of Future Past supports the community with various activities, such as Heritage Storytelling, Community Cultural Heritage Challenge, and Digital Heritage Collection. 

To facilitate reflection and learning from those involved in the Heritage of Future Past project, a community of practice (CoP) will be introduced in January. Partners, grantees, and individuals/organisations interested and working in intangible heritage and sustainable development are encouraged to join talks and connecting sessions. This provides a platform to formulate reflections, share best practices, and gain project management support for local cultural heritage safeguarding initiatives that directly benefit the community.

Activities Outlines   

• A series of online talks, taking place between January and March 2024. Creative professionals, cultural heritage professionals, development professionals, heritage practitioners will be invited to speak, sharing their expertise in some topics that selected by the community. We expect to welcome 150 community members to join the series.  

• Connecting Session: Cultural Heritage and Creativity, taking place between February and March 2024. Successful business models and case studies in the cultural heritage sector will be sharing their stories, then meet and greet with other professionals, practitioners and community members. The sessions are expected to be networking opportunities for 100 people, allowing them to exchange ideas, form connections, seek advice and learn new skills.  

• Small Grant Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development: In February 2024 when the online talks and connection session are being taken place, a call for small grant applications would have been launched. Therefore, those who participate in the community will be encouraged to respond to this call, and seek to learn skills, knowledge and process that would benefit them in developing and implementing projects and initiatives using cultural heritage as a resource to tackle local developmental challenges.