Hosted at the British Council in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council and UNESCO-UK, Collaborative Capacities facilitated a consultation event to determine how policy making might help incorporate cultural heritage into climate change discussions.
This two day cross-sector in person event started well before the actual dates when everyone convened at the British Council. Participants were asked to submit Impact Stories on their current or prior work in the area of cultural heritage and climate change: one image and a short paragraph describing the project’s societal and academic impact. These were printed out on posters and displayed around the meeting room on the day, to encourage collaborative conversations that drew out the commonalities and interdisciplinary differences among researchers, practitioners and policy makers who attended.
Everyone was encouraged to sit with people they had not worked with before to mix perspectives and enhance learning. Day 1 focused on building connectivity and trust between researchers and funders by encouraging each group to first work separately before coming together to engaged in structured conversations that helped to bridge the gap between them.
Participants worked on bespoke flipchart sheets that explored motivations, drivers, opportunities and challenges of translating research into policy. The event engaged everyone in conversations that explored the middle space between research and policy, touching on implementation science, public engagement and geopolitics. Custom-designed activities helped guide rich discussion and fostered an environment rooted in inclusive participation and meaningful engagement. In the words of the participants:
‘Heritage is not just the basket, it is also the skill to make the basket’
‘Put heritage in the frame of livelihoods’
‘The expertise missing from the room are the young people
and the older people they speak to‘
The outcome formed the basis for future steps for funders, policy makers and researchers which were determined collectively.
Participant testimonials:
“Your flexibility on the day was impressive – you read the room and acted accordingly.”
“I had definitely not thought about what the policy makers might need to implement my research into real societal change.”
“Thoroughly enjoyable two days – I did not know what to expect quite honestly, it was brilliant.”
Client testimonial:
“Thank you again for your all incredible hard work and making the event possible. It was a great two days and had such a rich vibrancy and spirit to it from all the discussions/conversations had. It is a pleasure working with you [as] always.”
“[Your report] is fantastic and we love the infographic [… your recommendations are] invaluable and insightful.” – Dr James Fenner, Senior Investment Manager – Heritage, Culture and Creative Arts, Arts and Humanities Research Council