Heritage professionals are increasingly engaging with LGBTQIA+ histories, lives and experiences, yet many report uncertainty about how to do so responsibly, confidently and with care. Questions around language, representation, consultation, organisational context and public response can feel complex, particularly when there is no single ‘right’ way to proceed.
In response to this, the Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI) has recently published a new Best Practice Guidance on LGBTQIA+ Heritage Interpretation, developed collaboratively by a working group of LGBTQIA+ interpreters from across the sector. Rather than offering prescriptive rules or checklists, the guide is structured around a set of open, practical questions designed to support reflection, discussion and better decision-making in real-world contexts.

The guidance is aimed at interpreters working in any heritage setting, museums, galleries, archives, historic sites or community projects, and at any scale or budget.

Its core premise is simple – good LGBTQIA+ interpretation begins not with certainty, but with thoughtful questioning. The guide invites teams to pause and consider where they are starting from, how care is embedded in their work, who is involved in shaping interpretation, how words and images are used, and how organisations respond to feedback or challenge. There are no right or wrong answers, just more informed, thoughtful ones that emerge through reflection, collaboration and care. A key strength of the guide is its emphasis on process. It was developed through shared discussion and debate – through a working group of LGBTQIA+ interpreters representing a breadth of practice in natural, cultural and historic interpretation; activism; design; writing; collections; communications; in-person interpretation; interpretive planning and a range of career stages and geographies. It quickly became clear that queer interpretation is far too complex for a simple list of ‘dos and don’ts’. The resulting guide reflects the reality that LGBTQIA+ heritage interpretation is not a single story, voice or approach. This collaborative development really mattered to us. Interpretation is rarely at its best when created in isolation. Multiple perspectives strengthen practice. And in work that seeks to address LGBTQIA+ heritage, lived experience, collaboration and care are essential. Case studies and suggested further reading offer inspiration rather than templates, while a short glossary supports those who may be new to the terminology often used in this field.

Importantly, the guidance also acknowledges the organisational context in which interpretation takes place. It encourages heritage professionals to consider values, ethics and institutional responsibility alongside creativity and storytelling, and to distinguish between genuine questions from audiences and bad faith responses that may require firm boundaries. In line with AHI’s commitment to inclusive and ethical practice, the guide is free to download and intended for international use. While developed within a UK and Ireland context, its questions and principles are designed to be adaptable across different cultural, legal and institutional landscapes. Ultimately, the guide does not aim to provide definitive answers. Instead, it offers a framework for better conversations, conversations that can support more authentic, confident and care-led LGBTQIA+ heritage interpretation over time.

Download the free guide here:
https://ahi.org.uk/resource/lgbtqia-heritage-interpretation/

Find out more about AHI here:
https://ahi.org.uk/

Free webinar

In addition to the guide, AHI is also hosting a free webinar: LGBTQIA+ heritage interpretation.
When? Thursday 21 May 2026 at 17.00 BST/ 18.00 CEST
Join us for this online session where we will showcase the contents of the new guide, discuss how we attempted to ‘queer’ the interpretation process and highlight some of the case studies from across the UK and Ireland.

Queer heritage is embedded in society and can be found in museums, galleries, heritage properties, outdoor sites and beyond. But some interpreters tell us they are unsure as to how to approach this subject. This guidance and webinar aim to offer some reassurance, some insight and some inspiration through reference to some inspirational queer interpretation. There will be time for questions and conversation during the session. The webinar will be hosted by Steve Slack (FAHI) with members of the collective who created the best practice guide. Find out more and register here: https://ahi.org.uk/event/lgbtqia-heritage-interpretation-webinar/

Danni Gilbert is Marketing & Communications lead at the Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI). She works with heritage organisations to support inclusive, ethical interpretation practice and leads on sector wide guidance, campaigns and knowledge sharing initiatives. Contact: marketing@ahi.org.uk.
Steve Slack is a heritage interpretation consultant in the UK and a Fellow of the Association of Heritage Interpretation (FAHI). His current work focusses on including audiences in participative exhibition making processes and in engaging visitors through interpretive experiences that provoke dialogue and active meaning making. He can be contacted at: steve@steveslack.co.uk. 

To cite this article:
Gilbert, Danni & Slack, Steve (2026) “Interpreting with the LGBTQIA+ community in mind”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026, p. 28.
Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026.

Interpretation might play on a field two sizes too small. Of course, you may not be sure if your interpretation does or not, until you zoom beyond the small field. It is hard to imagine the feel of playing inside a major soccer stadium if you have only ever played on a local field.
To upscale, both the way interpreters think and do must take in more of the big picture by including previously hidden dimensions, perspectives, forces, and goals. Below, I share five ways of thinking and five ways of doing more holistically to reach that stadium.

Thinking

• Integrate natural and cultural heritage

Chopping heritage into parts hides the larger picture. In fact, people often regard culture as separate from nature because they see humans as separate. But the larger evolutionary process since the Big Bang has been leaving evidence of its work across galactic, geologic, biological, cultural, and technological dimensions, all part of one universal process. So, one way to think more holistically is to interpret the universal journey that creates all heritage.

• See through multiple perspectives

Interpreters often interpret from a single perspective. It is the safest but least impactful way. We can view every object, whether pea or planet, through multiple lenses. These lenses can be physical or they can be through different worldviews. Visitors do not transform their perspectives or grow into better people simply by wearing the same glasses. We only grow when challenged. One way to challenge is to interpret from multiple perspectives.

• Meet people where they are or bring them along

Typically, interpretation meets audiences where they are, that is, they translate or interpret ideas into an audience’s language-mindset. Interpreters must understand which worldview their audience holds and which they themselves embrace to jump the gap between them. But another tool less employed is transformation: rather than meet the audience where it is, interpreters meet them and then bring them to where the interpreter is. Transformation increases consciousness and introduces new values. Though more challenging, transformation is ultimately key for interpreters who aspire to broaden perspectives and inspire engagement with the world around us.

• Connect with non-physical realities

Humans have always coexisted with the divine, spirits, and ancestors. But when modernism arrived, it rejected the intangible, spiritual, otherworldly as unmeasurable, unprovable, and non-existent. It then explained away inner personal experiences as electrical currents pulsing through grey matter. Surveys show that most people believe in God, ghosts, energy bodies, life after death, or greater universal purpose. Science itself researches consciousness fields, extrasensory perception, reincarnation, while UNESCO designates intangible heritage. So, one way to include more universe is to tell stories about non-physical phenomena that represent how many cultures experience their heritage.

• Promote human and community development

Evermore, people advocate that interpretation should build something beyond visitor knowledge and awareness. The field can contribute to human and community development. Many interpreters already practice participatory interpretation and UNESCO/Interpret Europe’s values-based interpretation. Some use interpretation to manage and conserve heritage. Others facilitate community-based processes to collectively interpret heritage for community benefit.

Doing

• Write universal themes, and tell universal stories

While interpreting frog maturation and Roman architecture has its place, people transform when they grapple with bigger, more existential realities that challenge them to contemplate civilisation, human history, evolution, and the universe. While no theme or story is immune to change, interpreters who write themes and tell stories about beauty, truth, and goodness can captivate, provoke thought, and deepen consciousness.

• Train holistically

Too often, one-off trainings benefit instructors more than students. Students can even lose motivation when they return home with new ideas and practices only to find that no one understands or supports them. Piecemeal trainings occur when trainers sequester students at locations that bear no resemblance to real work environments. They focus only on student performance without considering the influence of colleagues, supervisors, policies, or the social context where they work. They overlook trainees’ psychological wellbeing. They try to make one curriculum fit all… A holistic approach transcends these problems.

• Design experience opportunity spaces, not just interpretive media

Interpretive media most often focus on just a single intervention and audience effect, whether a human guide, signage, or exhibitry. But this narrow field of view excludes many factors that sculpt visitor opportunities to live an experience. Consider a circus tent. Within that controlled space, different designers synchronise their control of lighting, music, smells, actors such as clowns and animals, symbols and decorations, movements, visitor flow, visitor interactions, food, temperature, timing, object authenticity, and of course meanings and messages trumpeted by the ringmaster. A more holistic interpretation manages multiple interacting conditions through which visitors pass.

• Use interpretive standards at multiple levels 

Interpretive standards almost always focus on individual interpreters even though many goals can only be achieved by teams and communities. Interpretation occurs at different levels of organisation. While individuals may offer programmes, teams design exhibits, and communities manage heritage.

• Plan holistically

Modernist interpretive planning employs a technical, expert-driven, data-intensive approach that often excludes real participation of other non-technical stakeholders resulting in a published, polished plan that cannot be updated, ends on the shelf, and is ignored by stakeholders. A holistic approach considers feelings, aspirations, and beliefs of individuals; the culture that shapes community beliefs; planning skills of community members and interpretive planners; the laws and systems that govern planning, interpretation, and implementation. Holistic planning considers all these and other factors to increase the chance that an interpretive plan not only gets implemented but creates desired results in the world.

Playing on the larger field means playing with a broader field of view. By thinking and doing more holistically we launch greater impact in society. But the real question is not whether interpretation can play on a larger field, but whether we have the courage to step onto it in the first place.
A longer version of this article, including graphics and references, was originally published online in February 2026. You can see the full article here: Medium.com. 

Jon Kohl is an interpretive planner, author, and researcher whose work explores how narratives shape meaning, decision-making, and collective futures in natural-cultural heritage contexts. Jon is the executive director of the PUP Collaboratory and can be contacted at: jon@pupcollaboratory.net.

To cite this article: Kohl, Jon (2026) “Why can’t interpretation do more to tackle society’s problems?”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026, p. 24–26.
Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026.

[Submitted in response to the Learning Landscape initiative online symposium]

Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is often described as a wellbeing practice, an immersion in the sensory atmosphere of the forest. Rather than offering a structured story, it offers a space where participants slow down, notice more, and connect with the diverse narratives present in a natural landscape. In this way, forest bathing aligns with the wider shift in interpretation toward dialogue, reflection and personal meaning-making.

The forest is an ideal setting for exploring the question, Whose stories are told? While many heritage sites still emphasise dominant historical or cultural narratives, natural landscapes hold a multiplicity of simultaneous narratives – ecological, cultural, scientific, spiritual and personal. Forest bathing does not prioritise one over the other. Instead, it invites participants to recognise that their own presence becomes part of the place’s evolving story. Gentle prompts, such as “Notice what draws your attention”, help individuals uncover personal memories, associations, and emotions, addressing the question, How can people become aware of their own narratives?

This approach also helps address another challenge: How do we balance factual accuracy with narrative richness? Forest bathing does not contradict scientific knowledge; instead, it places it in context. A guide may share ecological perspectives, but these serve as invitations rather than explanations. Participants are encouraged to sense, reflect, and co-create meaning from their encounters. Forest bathing shows that facts can be offered not as directives, but as invitations to reflection. Emotional engagement becomes a pathway to critical thinking and self-reflection, rather than conflicting with evidence-based understanding.

Most importantly, forest bathing highlights how the interpretive profession is evolving, responding to the question, How is the interpretive profession adapting for the future? Guides become facilitators, mediators, and co-creators of meaning rather than solely conveyors of knowledge. Shared silence, sensory invitations and reflective circles enable participants to contribute their own perspectives, showing that heritage interpretation can trigger experiences rather than only deliver information. Such experiences can support dialogue, help manage narrative tension and foster social cohesion.
In a time of ecological crisis, forest bathing offers a gentle yet profound method for shaping new narratives, ones rooted in presence, reflection, and co-creation. After all, heritage is not just what we preserve, but how we relate to the world.

Georgia Pyriovolis is an English teacher, certified tour leader and mountain guide, as well as a pioneer of Forest Bathing practice in Greece, recognising the profound link that nature plays in cultivating health and wellness. She facilitates nature-based experiences that foster reflection, dialogue and meaningful connection with place. You can get in touch with her at: gpyriov@gmail.com.

To cite this article: Pyriovolis, Georgia (2026) “Listening to forest narratives”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026, p. 20.
Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026.

What the symposium left behind (and why it matters)
When a symposium ends, what actually remains? Not the presentations. Not the programme. What stays is the conversation — the kind that shifts something, even slightly, in the way you think about your work.

The Interpret Europe online symposium was conceived as a new format: a space to explore one subject in greater depth than our usual conference structure allows – not instead of it, but alongside it. Across 27 presentations and with 130 participants from across Europe, this online gathering did exactly that. We asked some of those who took part — as presenters, agents, and experts — not to report back on what was said, but to reflect on what it stirred.

The value was in the friction
The most meaningful moments, Iulia Balint observed, happened when interpretation came closest to practice — when abstract concepts met the messiness of real sites and real people. Seeing ideas “in the making”, as she put it, is what makes them stick.

Bojana Čibej pointed to something equally important: the online format, often dismissed as second-best, created an unexpectedly horizontal space. Chat threads allowed challenge and commentary in real time, producing what she described as a “colourful mosaic of ideas”. But she also raised a sharper question — does attachment to a single methodology risk producing interpreters who are “narrowly mentally modeled”? Heritage is too plural for one-size-fits-all frameworks. The more principles we share, the richer our collective toolkit becomes.

Stories are never neutral
We live in a world where information is abundant but often fragmented — and where many different actors tell stories about places and heritage across a growing range of platforms. In this context, as Sabina Viezzoli argues, narratives in interpretation matter more than ever. Not because they provide answers, but because they offer something information alone cannot: a meaningful pause — space for attention, connection, and reflection.

Yet, working with narratives responsibly means acknowledging what they do and don’t include. Stories are never neutral. They amplify certain voices and quietly sideline others. As interpreters, our responsibility is to recognise those dynamics and actively make space for the perspectives that tend to get left out — rather than smoothing complex histories into a single, reassuring storyline.

Listening is not passive
Steve Slack reminded us that interpretation is not a broadcast. Multiple narratives make our work stronger — but only if we’ve actually heard them first. If we can’t listen fully and authentically to the stories that matter to communities, we can’t responsibly shape the narratives we tell. Listening is a craft, and it deserves as much attention as storytelling.

Towards discomfort — on purpose
Jon Kohl offered perhaps the most provocative reframe: if narratives are the primary way humans make meaning of the world, then interpreters can no longer afford to be just storytellers. They need to become mediators, facilitators, negotiators — roles rarely included in interpretive training, but increasingly essential. Heritage institutions have long preferred smoothed-over consensus. But in a fragmented public space where different perspectives and values compete, an “aversion to conflict” is no longer a neutral stance. It’s a missed opportunity.

What comes next
Iulia advocates for more “show and tell” formats — spaces to observe how others translate the meanings of their sites into practice. Sabina points to something similar: shorter, more regular opportunities for exchange throughout the year — thematic online sessions, a podcast series, or simply the chance to visit colleagues at the sites where they work. For her, the symposium also reinforced something more personal: a sense of belonging to a community that shares values, questions, and a genuine commitment to the practice.
Within Interpret Europe, the work now is to keep this space open — co-creative, inclusive, and willing to sit with the questions a little longer rather than rushing toward answers.
The proceedings from the symposium will be published soon, so keep an eye on IE’s website: https://interpret-europe.net/material/. Some participants were also inspired to write articles based on their thoughts and experiences, a couple of which you can read in this newsletter, and we hope there will be more to come as we foster this open space for exchange within our network.

Vanessa Vaio is IE’s Country Coordinator Italy and she is a member of the Learning Landscape initiative team. She can be contacted at: vanessa.vaio@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article:
Vaio, Vanessa (2026) “What the symposium left behind (and why it matters)”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026, p. 9–10.
Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026.

Join us to co-create our Interpret Europe conference 2026: Re-interpreting Heritage in the Light of Faro, which will take place in Faro, Portugal in April. We will explore how heritage interpretation can strengthen democratic values, foster dialogue, and connect people with both cultural and natural heritage in meaningful ways. Faro is the birthplace of the Faro Convention, a milestone in people-centred, value-based approaches to heritage, making it the perfect setting to reflect on how interpretation can contribute to inclusive, sustainable communities across Europe.

To this end, we will organise group discussions and open space sessions and invite you to shape and co-create the future of interpretation with colleagues from all around Europe and beyond.

However, our standard programme with presentations and workshops remains, so you are warmly invited  to consider your own contribution by submitting an abstract (and later a full paper) by 5 January. 

As always, we will peek beyond the conference halls and visit numerous places in the Faro region. Whether your passion is culture, gastronomy, or nature, there will be something for everyone to remember this remarkable corner of Portugal forever.

You will be able to choose from six long study visits and at least six short ones, making the selection really hard.

Will you be tempted to visit the Loulé Rock Salt Mine, one of the most important geological sites of the Geoparque Algarvensis? 230 metres below the surface we will not only marvel at the magnificent underground world but also discuss how interpretation could help small businesses to find new ways forward in times of globalisation.

Or, will you prefer to go to the archaeological site of Milreu, surrounded by a serene agricultural landscape. We will rest our senses by wandering through the remains of a luxurious Roman villa and ponder over the succession of beliefs and cultural practices that shaped the south of the Iberian Peninsula. 

The group visiting the Eco-Cork Factory will learn about one of Portugal’s greatest natural treasures and one of its most exported products worldwide. In this family-run factory the love for cork has been passed down from generation to generation. Here, the ancestral knowledge of cork harvesting and transformation is preserved and at the same time adapted to modern times.

‘The cubist town’ of Olhão, an ancient fishing village, is a living testimony of the historical interconnection of locals with the ocean. We will trace the paths of legends, immersing ourselves in narratives that have influenced lives for centuries. Here, stories of fishermen, sailors and local folklore have woven a rich tapestry of identity. 

Or maybe you will choose to hop aboard a boat and experience the stunning Ria Formosa with its barrier islands, salt marshes and sand dunes as well as its rich flora and fauna. In conversation with local fishermen committed to sustainable practices, we’ll discuss the ecological challenges they face and the strategies they use to adapt to a changing world.

A bunch of short visits will let us explore Faro itself and its near surroundings, its landmarks, hidden gems and the most determinant moments in its history. Whether you chose a museum, the science centre, the digital visitor centre, a guided tour along the beach, a hike on the Ludo trail in the nature reserve or a tour up on the roofs of Faro or in its narrow streets – you will find plenty of food for lively discussions that align with our conference theme. Tastings of food and wine at sunset will round off our days. But this is not all! 

Parallel to our conference, our local organisers – Sciaena organisation – will be holding their annual Marmotto festival. This will be our unique chance to enjoy some artivism through a lively cultural event that blends music, interactive art, talks and performances inviting visitors to think about ocean conservation and expression through creativity. 

To round up our Portuguese adventure, join us on one of the post-conference tours to Évora or the Geopark Algarvensis.

There are good reasons why Évora will be the European Capital of Culture in 2027. A walk in the city centre is like a journey through 2000 years of Portuguese history. We’ll go on a guided tour visiting Évora’s most remarkable historic sites, including haunting chapels, ancient aqueducts, and serene gardens, and learn about the challenges and expectations of this UNESCO World Heritage city.Nature lovers should definitely not miss the post-conference tour UNESCO Geopark Algarvensis, a unique landscape of striking cliffs, hidden caves, and dramatic rock formations shaped over millions of years. We will learn about the region’s geological history, and discover the rich biodiversity of the area. 

However, before we get there, you should be aware of these deadlines so you don’t miss out on preparation for the conference:

Call for papers deadline: 5 January

Early bird registration until: 1 March

The conference website will be our most reliable signpost and information desk before we will meet in April so keep an eye on that for any extra information.

Bettina Lehnes is IE’s Event Coordinator. She can be contacted at: bettina.lehnes@interpret-europe.net.
Available online: Newsletter winter 2025

As part of the joint Learning Landscapes initiative, Interpret Europe and UNESCO are organising an online symposium, which will take place on 26-27 February 2026. It will address the role of narratives in 21st century heritage interpretation, and we are calling for your contributions.

Heritage interpretation is changing. Once focused on entertaining storytelling, it is now more about sharing experiences, inviting dialogue and empowering people to interpret for themselves. 

But how do we navigate the diverse – and sometimes conflicting – narratives around heritage?

Narratives are interpretive frames shared by many. They place heritage phenomena in a meaningful context and influence what we remember, and how we form our beliefs. Strong narratives can connect, heal, and inspire but they can also divide, silence, or distort. Engaging with multiple narratives requires new skills and opens new questions, which we aim to address in our symposium.

You can find the questions we want to address on the IE website here:

https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/symposium_lli_questions.pdf 

We welcome not only academic papers but also invite you to share your own experiences, present our own ideas, or simply stimulate and facilitate exchange on a particular question. 

Please select the format that best suits you from our submission form, which we need to receive by 9 January 2026.

We are much looking forward to your proposals!

Available online: Newsletter winter 2025

I wasn’t a model participant. The Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) training recently hosted by the Tourism Association of German Western Pomerania was split across two weekends in October and November. A six-week hiatus gave participants ample time to come up with a short interpretation for their practical exam. It also helped me forget that all interpretations were to take place within a particular two-hundred-metre section of the seaside, all beach, dunes, and forest. So, when I finally thought about what interested me as an interpretable phenomenon in the seafront village of Lubmin, just 20 kilometres from where I live, I picked the pizzeria.

As a result, I had to spend the evening before the last day’s exam developing a new 10-minute interpretation, this time on a phenomenon within the designated area.

I had already gone off track that afternoon when we practised turning controversy into dialogue. Each one of us was to give an off-the-cuff interpretation of an item collected in the forest while successfully moderating controversial reactions from the group. But there never were any. So, when my turn came, I interpreted a dead flower that still held up its seeds as nature’s lesson on how we should be ready to sacrifice ourselves for the future of our nation, and so on. The group went along complacently. It took near-verbatim national socialist stock phrases finally to raise some eyebrows. However, not only did my demagogue act fail to provoke open controversy, it also kept me from following up on the groups’ responses and developing a real dialogue.

As weird as my experiment was, it flew from a genuine concern about the interpretation of natural heritage. If interpretive themes frequently draw analogies between natural phenomena and human life, are interpreters reinforcing the dangerous idea that what is natural is ‘right’ and vice versa? 

So, there is some irony in the fact that the short interpretation I prepared over the following night, the way it actually turned out, fell into the same basic pattern as my social Darwinist act. The main difference was that it worked from cosmopolitan values.

Having realised that I couldn’t use the pizzeria for my practical exam the next day, I needed to pick a phenomenon located within the designated area. As we walked back through the wet dusk to the holiday facility that was our base, I noticed a birch tree that grew like a contorted shrub beneath the tall pines of the coastal forest. Well, why not? After dinner, I read up on birches. 

The next day, as we criss-crossed the area from one participant’s spot to the next, it became clear that most of us had chosen trees to interpret. So, when my turn came and we arrived near the birch, I welcomed the group to another stop on the ‘Trees and People’ trail.

As taught by our trainer, my interpretation proceeded along three facts and their meanings. Firstly, I got the group talking about the tree species of the forest around them, which they duly labelled either as native or as invasive and dangerous. Secondly, we approached the birch, described it, and discussed what its posture felt like – a little uncomfortable, that is. The revelation came when I asked the group to check the tree against some identifying traits of the weeping birch (Betula pendula). Conveniently, a colleague had already used one for her interpretation without even bothering to name the species, overwhelmingly common as it is in Germany. But this tree was different. I suggested that it could be a downy birch (B. pubescens) or a hybrid of the two species. The downy birch is known to occur here and there in Western Pomerania and across much of Europe, but is much more at home in Scandinavia. 

Thirdly, I told the group how, 28 years ago, a young war refugee from Kosovo arrived in this northerly post-communist land of fish sandwiches and fried potatoes. He was a trained cook, and a friend who ran a restaurant in a nearby town took him in. During a visit to the seaside, they were approached by a local: Weren’t they the guys from that pizza place? This parish needed one, too! The refugee decided to put down roots in foreign soil and made Lubmin a better place to eat. Today, Mr Aliçkaj runs Pizzeria Adria together with his brothers, their wives, and their children, who were born here. 

We were long past the 8-minute signal, and I quickly wrapped up my interpretation with the theme sentence: Both among trees and people, immigrants can enrich communities.

My rookie planning meant that we didn’t get to discuss our own experiences of feeling out of place and becoming at home, or to question the connotations of ‘native’ and ‘invasive’ species as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. And I would have preferred to end my interpretation with a coda on the diversity of scenarios encompassed by that little word, ‘can’. This training brought us a long way in the craft of interpretive guiding, yet creating conversations that embrace complexity and uncertainty across nature and culture may remain a challenge even for seasoned professionals, or so I guess.

Philipp P. Thapa is an ecologist, philosopher, and writer based in Germany. You can contact him at philipp.thapa@elfenbeynturm.de.

To cite this article: Thapa, Philipp P. (2025) ‘Interpreting across nature and culture’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4‑2025, p. 13-14.
Available online: Newsletter winter 2025

IE recently launched an online networking event to help connect our members who wish to find partners to collaborate with. The last event was an intimate affair, but social, interactive and interesting. Getting to know each other better means that we have more knowledge to share and more experience to offer to our clients.  

Some of our members have upcoming projects that they need help with and so they came to this networking event to see what others might have to offer. Our participants had a wide range of skills that they could share, from digital solutions, experience in social involvement and fundraising, to interpretive planning, interpretive media design and writing. We’re all a part of IE, but you never really realise how much knowledge and expertise is out there until you join an event like this. 

The projects were also interesting. We heard from Enrico about his mining heritage project where he wants to help locals to rediscover their history and to showcase the mining migrations across Europe. We heard from Vasilka about her small historic house that has been run by the same family for over 120 years which is being converted into a museum (and a museum theatre project that they would like to make interpretive and international). And we heard from Kris who makes youth documentaries about archaeology, palaeontology, heritage and history, and which he would like to expand into the rest of Europe. 

I hope that there will be many more opportunities like this, where members get to know each other better and through that, help each other out. We are a community here to support all of the professionals in the interpretive industry, so that we can all make heritage more meaningful. Let’s get to know each other, work with each other and make our heritage shine together.

Keep an eye on the IE website and your inbox for news about the next networking event and we hope to see you there!
Heidi is IE’s Webinar Officer. She can be contacted at: heidi.demaine@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article:De Maine, Heidi (2025) ‘Why work alone when you can have a helping hand?’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4‑2025, p. 9.
Available online: Newsletter winter 2025

Empaths is our second European project, a classic transnational cooperation action, funded by the European Union Erasmus+ programme. 

Empaths supports IE’s work to pilot a new training course for HI professionals to facilitate participatory heritage interpretation reflecting the democratisation of heritage and the shift to value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation. It will expand our knowledge and experience in this area alongside the Learning Landscapes initiative involving a selection of UNESCO World Heritage sites and the Framework of Reference which is central to the HI-People project.

After a year of research and development, we have produced a methodological framework for an online and on-site course, a curriculum and syllabus, and an Empaths Manifesto, an easily accessible document for all heritage stakeholders that sets out the case for participation (or heritage communities) and the role of interpreters as facilitators of personal meaning-making. You can find all these documents and more on the project website: www.empaths-project.eu.

Our partners in Northwest Greece, Austria/Slovenia and Southern Italy had the pleasure of sharing their work at a recent webinar of the Global Alliance for Heritage Interpretation (GAHI) and are now preparing the learning materials for the training. The focus then turns to recruiting ‘local’ participants to take part in the pilot training, beginning with a series of six online sessions in May next year, followed by on-site community labs in the autumn.

Click here for past GAHI webinars, a service which is also supported by the HI-People project. 

Visit the www.empaths-project.eu for more details and free-to-access documentation and please register to receive the Empaths newsletter. We are also on social media, so do follow us from the website links.

Alexander (Sandy) Colvine is IE’s Project Manager for HI-People and Empaths. He can be contacted at: alexander.colvine@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article: Colvine, Alexander (Sandy) (2025) ‘European project update: Empaths’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4‑2025, p. 8.
Available online: Newsletter winter 2025

HI-People is our largest project, supported by the European Union Creative Europe programme. The programme invests in network organisations like IE that it believes can help transform the cultural and creative sectors in Europe.

That transformation relates to our ongoing efforts to foster value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation through training, networking, advocacy and policy. This centres on a common understanding, or framework of reference (FoR), among European heritage stakeholders of what we mean by the term value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation, its principles and ethical guidelines, so that the approach is used and referenced consistently in the heritage sector.

Work is underway and, in the coming weeks, you’ll find an introduction on the IE website to value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation, a starting proposal for the Framework of Reference and a forum for research and exchange on the subject. The exchange will evolve over the next few years, expanding from an advisory group of European heritage sector experts to wider consultation with IE members and beyond.

But to make a real change, the FoR must connect to ‘bigger conversations’ in Europe on democracy, community building, and sustainable development where it can translate the value of heritage and a practical people-centred approach to achieve the above visions via, for example, the Faro Convention. By anchoring IE’s work in the Faro Convention, the FoR can be a model of ‘how to do it’ and reclaim our essential role in this vital European movement while moving closer to the centre of the conversation.

The Learning Landscapes initiative is also an important part of this ‘bigger picture’. In addition to extra outreach support provided to the LLI team by the HI-People project – to recruit more participating territories for a new cycle of LLI, it will also help revise the interpretive agent course materials from the first phase and ultimately provide new opportunities for our community of certified trainers as the initiative expands.

Continuing with training, IE held a trainers’ summer school in Vrsar, Croatia, in June, while a new Certified Interpretive Trainers course started online in November with in-person training in Frankfurt next February. We look forward to welcoming a new generation of IE trainers very soon!

A new IE mentoring programme has also been launched to help freelance consultants (IE members or non-members) to grow their businesses, develop their entrepreneurial skills and make long-term careers as interpreters. This has begun with a needs analysis survey (see link above) followed by a multi-annual online programme beginning in early spring 2026. 

Such attention to capacity building is vital if we are to ensure that our efforts to advocate for the value of heritage and the profession of heritage interpreters are backed up with a body of highly competent professional consultants and/or trainers ready to translate such claims and ambitions into tangible actions on the ground.

Outreach to promote the value of heritage and the contribution of heritage interpretation to wider society also hinges on our network of Country Coordinators who will be supported to hold national and regional networking events over the next three years. The aim is to connect heritage professionals with IE’s approach to interpretation as well as its capacity building and professional offer provided by ‘local’ members and trainers. One major such event has already taken place in Croatia this year and others will follow. In the meantime, IE’s Country Coordinators continue to meet regularly online to discuss their roles and the contribution they can make in their different contexts.

HI-People is also about addressing new realities, such as the growth of digital technology and how this can be best employed and scrutinised to support value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation. Preparations are now underway to produce and test a new two-day digital heritage interpretation module, together with an analysis of best practice and a set of ethical guidelines. Plans are also being made to deliver a toolkit on the sustainability credentials to support the value of HI, to be produced in 2026.

Finally, work has begun since the autumn to refresh the IE website for quicker navigation with more structured content for IE members, potential members, peer organisations and IE trainers. A survey will be published in early January to gather your opinions and experience on user needs, functions and features. The revised website should be online next summer.

Perhaps you’ve noticed the new IE promotion campaign Share your story, find your meaning on IE social media? This is part of our new thematic communication strategy supported by HI-People. The campaign theme this winter has been ‘participation’. Watch out for more posts on this subject and IE’s work! The strategy also sets out other media, such as podcasts and video clips, to raise awareness about the evolution of heritage interpretation and our work to train interpreters – all useful tools that can help us all explain and promote our work.

Alexander (Sandy) Colvine is IE’s Project Manager for HI-People and Empaths. He can be contacted at: alexander.colvine@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article: Colvine, Alexander (Sandy) (2025) ‘European projects update: HI-People’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4‑2025, p. 6-7.
Available online: Newsletter winter 2025