Category: #makeheritagefun
What started as a task for our student interns in 2014, is now a global campaign to motivate people to engage with heritage. This�series of events is a distributed social media campaign�occurring simultaneously at cities around the world to draw attention to heritage�- and yet another way for laypersons to engage with�heritage. Experiences from across the world will be collated and amplified through�social media using the hashtag #makeheritagefun.
The prime goal of a #makeheritagefun event is to draw attention to�heritage, by creating both online buzz and offline conversations. The�events are intended to bring together people interested in heritage�and start these conversations.
The first #makeheritagefun , started in June 2015, was organized almost�simultaneously in 11 cities in Asia and Europe. Since then, it has grown profoundly�and�sees more than 100 cities across 5 continents participate.
GoUNESCO acts as a�catalyst and offers centralised support including registrations and promotion, but the events themselves are planned and managed by volunteers in these cities. These volunteers can be anyone – in the past, we have seen students, travel bloggers, heritage organizations, even World Heritage Site managers organize events. The key�aspect to note is that we do not impose�our thoughts – heritage and its interpretation is left entirely to the organizers.
It is our hope that this idea spreads further and encourages�everyone to think of heritage in a positive light.
I gaze at the expanse of the Mediterranean in front of me wondering if someone on the other side is staring back. The grey-green mountains of the rest of Lebanon line the horizon on my left, and in front of me, fishermen stand like statues on the rocks, waiting for a catch. The silence is broken only by the whispering wind, the waves lapping against the castle walls, the cry of gulls, and occasional bursts of Arabic music from the boat circling around the harbour.