The Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO announces the launch in Cyprus of the educational programme entitled “Teaching and Learning with Living Heritage”, for teachers of primary and secondary schools. The first phase of the programme includes a hybrid capacity building seminar that will take place from 24 February to 1 March 2026.
The programme aims to strengthen teaching and learning through the integration of intangible cultural heritage, encouraging creative, hands-on, and participatory approaches within the framework of existing curricula.
The incorporation of living heritage—namely, the living traditions that shape the collective memory and identity of communities—into education is a key priority of UNESCO, in line with the principles of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The programme implemented in Cyprus seeks to introduce teachers to the methodology proposed in the UNESCO guide for educators, Teaching and Learning with Living Heritage: Resources for Teachers – UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage). In 2024, the Greek translation of the guide (Διδάσκοντας και μαθαίνοντας με τη ζωντανή κληρονομιά) was published by the Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of Greece. In addition to methodological tools, the publication includes examples from schools that participated in the pilot implementation of the programme during the 2023-2024 school year, in cooperation with the Greek UNESCO Associated Schools Network.
The implementation of the programme in Cyprus in 2026 will include two afternoon online training sessions, as well as a three-day in-person workshop in Limassol and the Municipality of Kourion. In particular, teachers will have the opportunity to visit the Akrotiri Environmental Education Centre and explore the Akrotiri Wetland, in order to better understand the intrinsic link between intangible cultural heritage and the natural environment. A characteristic example is the Akrotiri Wetland, where the specific features of the natural environment have fostered the development of the craft of soft basket weaving. Drawing on their experience from the visit and applying the UNESCO-recommended methodology, participants will develop lesson plans during the workshops, inspired by the rich living cultural traditions included in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cyprus.
Following the completion of the training, participants will be invited to implement relevant activities in their schools, supported by funding from the programme, making use of the knowledge and skills acquired during the workshops. Upon completion of the programme, a presentation event will be organised on the occasion of the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage (17 October 2026), during which Certificates of Participation will be awarded to the teachers who took part in the programme.
The teacher training will be delivered by experts who implemented the corresponding programme in Greece and were responsible for the design and translation of the Greek guide: Elena Bazini, Social Anthropologist, staff member of the Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of Greece and member of the global network of facilitators of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; and Katerina Christodoulou, English Language Teacher and UNESCO expert collaborator (Living Heritage Sector) on issues of living heritage in education.
The programme is implemented in cooperation with UNESCO (Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, based in Venice) and the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe (under the auspices of UNESCO, based in Sofia). For the implementation of the training seminar, the Commission collaborates with the Deputy Ministry of Culture (Department of Contemporary Culture – Cultural Education Sector), the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, the Unit for Education for the Environment and Sustainable Development, the Municipality of Kourion (member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities), and the Cultural Workshop of Agioi Omologites (an NGO accredited to UNESCO for Intangible Cultural Heritage).