Module 2.

Collaborative Management and Community Engagement

If you live in a community, you’ll know that the relationships among its members are strong bonds essential for healthy coexistence and for achieving common goals that improve life and preserve the community’s culture and identity.

This module is all about collaborative management and getting your community involved in heritage projects, especially through ecomuseums and other local initiatives. We’ll look at how sharing decision-making and having locals actively participate can really help protect both the physical and cultural sides of heritage in a sustainable way.

You’ll get a mix of theory and hands-on tools to help you understand what it takes to manage heritage together with communities. By checking out real examples and doing interactive exercises, you’ll learn how to support communities in creating and running their own heritage projects. The module shows how local involvement doesn’t just preserve heritage: it can also boost sustainable tourism and help local areas thrive.

Plus, it’s made to give rural communities better access to quality education, with flexible online resources that anyone can use.

Fig. 1. Community territory exploration at Lis Aganis Ecomuseum (Italy). Source: Lisa Pigozzi

Chapters

Introduction to Collaborative Management

This chapter introduces the idea of collaborative management in heritage conservation. It explains the main principles and why it’s so important, especially for ecomuseums. You’ll learn about the different roles played by local governments, NGOs, businesses, and residents when they work together to take care of cultural and natural heritage. We’ll pay special attention to ecomuseums, which Maggi (2002) describes as “a pact between a community and its heritage” — a great example of how participatory heritage management works. Plus, we’ll look at some official documents that support sustainable heritage management.
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Together We Thrive: Community engagement strategies

This chapter is all about getting communities involved in heritage conservation projects. We’ll explore hands-on techniques like participatory decision-making, collecting oral histories, and collaborative storytelling, all tools that help people feel connected and actively engaged in protecting their heritage.
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Participatory Heritage Management for Sustainable Tourism and Local Development

The rise in communication and the wide range of travel options, both between countries and within the same region, have led some places to experience an overwhelming increase in tourism, often with negative effects on the local communities hosting it. But what if we imagined a kind of tourism that doesn’t harm the host, but instead becomes part of local life and identity? This chapter looks at how collaborative management can help create sustainable tourism. It highlights ways to balance welcoming visitors while keeping the community’s well-being in mind. You’ll also see how getting locals involved makes cultural experiences more authentic and meaningful.
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Challenges and Solutions in Community-Led Management

Collaborative management comes with lots of benefits, but it’s not without its challenges. Issues like conflicting interests, limited funding, and complicated governance can get in the way. This chapter dives into these problems and shares some smart solutions. Some of the biggest hurdles include juggling different stakeholders’ expectations, finding steady financial support, and dealing with volunteer burnout. To tackle these, it’s important to have clear and open decision-making, explore diverse funding options, and invest in training and capacity-building. We’ll also look at lessons from real-world examples around the globe that show how communities have successfully overcome these obstacles.
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Case Studies

In this section, we will look at four local projects—two in Spain and two in the Netherlands—that successfully show how communities engage with initiatives where intangible cultural heritage contributes to both development and the well-being of their members

“Raíces”: Empowering Community Narratives Through Collaborative Art, Spain

Fig. 6. “Raíces” Project. Source: HIGHRES Good Practices Handbook.

Raíces is a community research project led by Master’s students in Aesthetic Education at the University of Jaén, Spain. It took place in the town of Alcaudete, where local people were invited to share their personal stories, memories, and traditional crafts. Working closely with the Fuente Zaide Neighborhood Association, these stories were collected and turned into a digital documentary that preserves and celebrates the community’s intangible cultural heritage. Using participatory art and storytelling, Raíces helped bring people together, gave residents a stronger voice, and boosted local identity. By mixing traditional knowledge with digital tools, the project shows how working together can protect cultural heritage. It also highlights how partnerships between universities and communities can build resilience, encourage intergenerational connections, and support sustainable development — all of which can help promote local tourism and economic growth.

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“Vientos del Tiempo”: Reviving Oral Traditions Through Theatre and Digital Media, Spain

Fig. 7. “Vientos del Tiempo” Project. Source: HIGHRES Good Practices Handbook.

“Vientos del Tiempo” is a cultural project from Torredonjimeno, Spain, that brings local oral traditions and heritage back to life using theatre and digital media. This non-profit group gets the community involved through dramatized storytelling, guided tours, and audiovisual works to keep regional stories, customs, and historical figures alive. By mixing live performances with modern platforms like TV and social media, they make traditional tales fresh and exciting, especially for younger audiences. Some highlights include the “Tiempo de Navidad” series and teaming up with TikTok influencers to spread local history in fun ways. This project not only boosts cultural pride and links between generations but also helps tourism by making heritage experiences more accessible and engaging. “Vientos del Tiempo” shows how storytelling combined with digital tools can protect intangible heritage while building community spirit and supporting local growth.

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Spotting Intangible Heritage, Netherlands Arnhem

Fig. 8. Spotting Intangible Heritage Project. Source: Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage webpage.

Spotting Intangible Heritage is a cool project run by the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage, part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Its goal is to get people across the Netherlands more aware of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). They put up QR codes in villages, towns, and cultural spots that visitors can scan to discover digital stories about local traditions and practices. What’s really special is how these stories are made: the Knowledge Center starts with a basic script, but then local communities add their own personal stories and experiences. This teamwork between residents, writers, and media pros makes sure the content feels authentic and engaging. By mixing tech with real community voices, Spotting Intangible Heritage helps bring local culture to life and gets people more connected to where they live.

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Website

The National Holocaust Museum

Fig. 9. The National Holocaust Museum. Source: Photo by Mike Bink, HIGHRES Good Practices Handbook.

The National Holocaust Museum takes a hands-on approach by involving Holocaust survivors and their families directly in creating its exhibits. Survivors share their personal stories and experiences, which become a key part of how the museum tells its story. This teamwork helps keep the exhibits authentic and deeply moving, while also honoring the voices of those who lived through the Holocaust. It’s a way to make sure the museum’s message is respectful, meaningful, and truly connected to real people’s lives.

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Self-assessment Tools

Self-reflection questions

Q1

Why is collaborative management important for heritage sustainability?

Q2

What are the key challenges of community engagement in heritage projects?

Q3

How can local businesses contribute to sustainable tourism?

Q4

What participatory strategies would you apply to engage youth in a heritage project?

Q5

How does community-led tourism differ from traditional tourism models?

Q6

What governance structures can support effective stakeholder collaboration?

Self-evaluation test

References

Maggi, M. (2002). Ecomuseums: European Guide. Torino, Italy: Umberto Allemandi.

UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Guidelines.

UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Development policy.

 

Additional Sources

Concomitentes: Promotes the creation of works of art and mediates negotiation between citizen promoters and artists.

UNESCO Training on Collaborative and Integrated Management of Protected and Heritage Landscapes.

Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation: Committed to the field of civic art, for the development of critical thinking and the strengthening of social cohesion

Framer Framed: Platform for contemporary art, visual culture, and critical theory and practice.