The HI-People project

HI-People, supported by the European Union Creative Europe programme, has begun its second year (of four) with some exciting developments for IE members.

First, our new mentoring and peer support programme is now up and running. Designed to help early-career and more experienced freelance interpreters/trainers meet the challenge of sustaining and growing their businesses, it complements our training programme to provide excellence in the practice of heritage interpretation and support to capitalise on these skills to forge a successful freelance career.
Our partner, Melting Pro, held an introductory meeting on 18 February attended by almost 40 IE members and non-members, with an inspiring keynote from UK interpretive consultant, Steve Slack. The meeting highlighted the importance of self-awareness, particularly personal and professional values, when establishing an online and offline presence in the marketplace.
Running your own business is always a challenge, but the mentoring programme recognises the value of the human connection as a supportive pact in which knowledge and values can be shared in a structured and empathetic relationship to build a robust freelance mindset.
The programme may have started life as a bullet point activity in a project proposal, but it is a key piece of the jigsaw, to equip a community of highly competent interpretive consultants and/or trainers with the mindset and resilience to succeed as freelancers.
We look forward to our first intake of mentors and mentees who will meet at regular intervals in 2026 to address the challenges mentioned above and this year’s topic of developing a digital presence, which came top in a recent survey of needs. Each year the programme will adopt a new topic based on a survey. If you missed the opening meeting but would still like to join the programme, it’s not too late! Just email mentoring@interpret-europe.net. Full details on the programme can be found here.

Another interesting addition is the IE training scholarship scheme, which offers up to 50% off IE training course fees, or for travel and subsistence if a course is provided free of charge, up to a maximum value of €300.
While we strive to keep our IE-certified training opportunities as affordable as possible, taking part in a five-day course, often in another country, represents a significant investment, especially for new interpreters just starting out. So, whether you are a new heritage professional or plan to make your career in heritage, we hope this new scheme can provide you with a welcome boost to justify your decision to become a heritage interpreter. Further details on eligibility, conditions and the application process can be found here.

Digital technology and AI are a growing part of visitor experiences at heritage sites worldwide, so the HI-People project offers us the opportunity to develop a training module for digital interpretation, which will take shape over the next two years. Targeting heritage professionals, curators and decision-makers, the module seeks to foster critical and considerate adoption of digital resources (including AI) to provide meaningful heritage experiences reflecting heritage interpretation principles and standards advocated by IE. In this way, participants can make informed decisions, brief providers, follow the planning process and engage in discussions with them to ensure that the resulting digital interpretation fulfils the aforementioned principles. The module will be accompanied by examples of best practice, ethical guidelines and a short series of webinars for members to discuss the subject. We hope to engage a multidisciplinary team who will work with the IE training team, as well as members with digital experience, to ensure that the activities best meet our short-term and long-term needs. More news to follow soon!
Finally, the IE conference 2026 in Faro, Portugal, marks the 21st anniversary of the Faro Convention and the notion of ‘heritage communities’ as well as people’s participation in heritage governance as a means of upholding democracy, human rights and sustainable development. It provides the stage for IE to advocate for a framework of reference for value-based heritage and people-centred approach to interpretation to affirm IE’s essential role in helping achieve these aims and to move closer to the centre of strategic decision-making and policy-making conversations. The conference is the starting point for the framework of reference and a subsequent forum for research and exchange on the subject over the next three years. In addition, there will be an interactive plenary workshop at the conference, to gather feedback, views and ideas to shape the future framework of reference.

The Empaths project 

Empaths, our second European project, funded by the European Union Erasmus+ programme, is developing a pilot training course on participatory heritage interpretation for heritage professionals. It gives IE the chance to experiment with value-based interpretation with piloting partners at sites in Northwestern Greece, Southern Italy and on the Austrian/Slovenian border together with the people who live there. The ‘people’ part is key to the whole project as members of the local community will take part in the field-based part of the training, entitled ‘community labs’, to develop ideas for interpretive opportunities to enhance a specific site or a wider area of tangible or intangible heritage, such as an old stone quarry or traditional religious processions. It is, however, the process that matters, not the result. The piloting partners will soon invite local people to preparatory meetings to present the Empaths project, and to select the tangible or intangible heritage for the community lab. The community will have the final decision.

The heritage professionals will first follow a series of online training modules in May/June to learn the principles of participatory HI, before putting their knowledge into practice by facilitating a community lab in their pilot territory in September. Each lab will partially follow a ‘design thinking’ sequence with the aim of creating interpretive themes and narratives, or a format to tell a story from different perspectives. The way the community empathises with the heritage and with each other will dictate what ultimately transpires, so flexibility must be built in to avoid rushing stages or the influence of external agendas that might undermine the priorities of the local participants.
An experienced trainer in participatory practices involving HI will support the heritage professionals to facilitate the local community participants towards their goal, to validate their work and to consider how they might want to continue their efforts for a finished interpretive experience.
It will be an exciting and ambitious undertaking for the project, but the considerable experience of the local piloting partners who work extensively with local communities will be crucial to bring credibility, encourage people to take part and start a collective action that may continue beyond the lifetime of the Empaths project.

Click here for more details on the Empaths project and the latest news, including the Empaths newsletter and Empaths Manifesto.

Alexander (Sandy) Colvine is IE’s Project Manager for both EU-funded projects. He can be contacted at: alexander.colvine@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article:
Colvine, Alexander (Sandy) (2026) “European projects update”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026, p. 11–13.
Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026.

About the programme

Interpret Europe has teamed up with Italian VET provider and cultural participation specialist Melting Pro, to run a professional mentoring and peer support programme for heritage interpreters over the next three years.

The programme is designed for a wide range of heritage professionals: freelance interpreters and trainers at different stages of their careers, those newly entering the field, as well as experienced practitioners interested in becoming mentors. It aims to provide personalised support for professional development, encourage knowledge-sharing, and strengthen both individual practice and the interpretive community as a whole.

Through online workshops, mentoring training, peer mentoring sessions and structured opportunities for exchange, the programme addresses both professional and soft skills, supporting sustainable career paths in a dynamic and evolving sector. Click here for full details.

First workshop – save the date and register now!

The introductory online workshop will take place on:
Wednesday, 18 February 2026 
16:00–18:00 CET

This first session will focus on self-branding, digital presence, and audience engagement, reflecting key needs identified through the launch survey. We are pleased to welcome Steve Slack as guest speaker, who will share practical insights and inspiration for professional growth.

During the session, Interpret Europe and Melting Pro will also explain how the mentoring programme will work in practice, including the matching process, roles, availability, and next steps. Time will be reserved for questions and clarifications.

To participate, please register here.

Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/vrr-wbjk-iru

Please note that roles allocation and mentor–mentee matching will take place after this first workshop.

While principally intended for IE members, the programme will also reach out to non-member heritage professionals to join and share in this collaborative process. Participants can be freelance consultants and/or trainers, whether recently established in, or brand new to, heritage interpretation. It is also open to senior professionals with mentoring experience who would like to support early career interpreters. The programme will provide personalised guidance and support for professional development and promote sustainable business growth.

Help us by completing this online survey by Monday 22 December 2025 so we can shape the mentoring and peer support programme to your needs.

Please note that completing the survey is not conditional on you committing to participate in the mentoring programme. We simply want an accurate snapshot of professional development needs among the interpretive community so that the subjects and content of this initiative address those needs as far as possible

Heritage interpretation can sometimes feel like a solitary occupation, so this initiative aims to draw on our combined strengths to enhance and share the expertise within the interpretive community. This includes structured opportunities for dialogue, networking and practical tools to help individual interpreters make the most of the skills they have learned and drive collective growth in a fast-expanding and dynamic sector.

In addition to growing businesses, market demand, client-provider relationships and project design, etc., the focus will also be on soft skills where people can exchange ideas, develop new skills, and strengthen existing ones in a safe, collaborative space.

The programme begins this winter with (i) mapping your needs through an online survey, followed in early 2026 with (ii) annual cycles of online workshops with sector experts on the identified needs, training on mentoring, matching, and peer mentoring sessions. Each cycle includes monitoring and evaluation. Participation is free for IE members with a small charge for non-members*. Participants can stay for more than one cycle as they wish.

Why join?

Taking part in this mentoring and peer support programme means investing in your professional development and joining a community that values collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and meaningful connections around heritage. Each participant will:

• receive personalised support through a peer mentoring pathway with someone who knows your sector and its challenges
• become a mentor and learn to channel your experience to assist those new to the profession in other countries
• access high-quality training with experts on topics such as, for instance, entrepreneurial development, fundraising, communication, and digital tools
• strengthen your professional profile with practical strategies for growing as a trainer or freelance interpreter
• exchange ideas and practices with colleagues from across Europe, broadening your perspective
• build lasting connections within the Interpret Europe network and beyond
• contribute to the sector-wide debate on the future of heritage interpretation, centred on people and values

If you would like to apply to take part, please send an email to office@interpret-europe.net by 30 December 2025 briefly stating your professional situation, your ambitions for a career in heritage interpretation and what you would like to gain from mentoring.

Thank you for your interest. We think this will be an ideal opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow together.

*Non-IE member heritage professionals can access the mentoring programme by either joining IE from 2026 at individual membership fee level, or by remaining as non-members and instead paying an annual participation fee indexed to your country of residence as applies to IE membership fees (see below).

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Interpret Europe is launching the first of four annual promotion campaigns on key themes for the interpretive community. The overall campaign concept is “Change perspective”.

This signature reflects IE’s longstanding contribution to personal meaning-making through value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation which thrives on exchange and participation. So, stay updated on the latest news and follow IE official channels over the coming weeks and months as we explore this all-important subject in its different dimensions.

With this first campaign on ‘participation‘, IE invites heritage professionals, partner organisations and members to join and strengthen a community where interpretation is shaped together through dialogue, shared understanding, co-creation, and respect for multiple perspectives.

Policy and decision-making bodies are acknowledging the vital role that heritage and heritage professionals play in relation to wider societal, economic and environmental issues such as active citizenship, sustainability and social cohesion, but we still need to draw greater attention to our contribution.

Participation is more than a technique. It is part of the people-centred approach that we want to foster within the interpretive community and indeed with communities to create meaning with others in the field. It’s the path we walk, together.

Tender Document

Deadline for proposals: 7 July!

As we know, heritage is no longer the exclusive domain of the expert, primarily for conservation purposes. Instead, people are playing an active role in creating, protecting and transforming heritage by making it part of their lives.

Empaths (Empowering landscapes with participatory approaches to heritage interpretation skills) is a new 30-month EU Erasmus+ project for IE that reflects this shift and, together with ongoing actions such as the Learning Landscapes initiative, will deepen our knowledge and approaches to value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation. Indeed, Empaths itself focuses on participatory meaning- making, involving heritage professionals and local communities.

After a period of research which is almost finished, the goal for the rest of 2025 and 2026 is to develop and test a new training programme to upskill heritage professionals with the participatory competencies they need to effectively engage communities in meaning-making processes related to their heritage.

IE is working with two other training and technical providers in Greece and Italy, each paired with piloting partners who will test the training course in their local areas with local heritage professionals and community representatives. These include an ethnological museum in NE Greece, an archaeological park near Naples and a Geopark on the Austrian/Slovenian border.

You can find out more about the project, the partners and the latest activities in this first newsletter, as well as a link to subscribe to receive future editions directly to your inbox.

HI-People is a key project for Interpret Europe over the next four years. It will build the capacity of our network organisation and members but also reach out to other heritage professionals, institutions and networks to promote the role of heritage interpreters practicing value-based and people-centred approaches in heritage interpretation (HI) as a response to some of the critical challenges facing Europe today. 

That outreach begins with our community of country and subject coordinators and so we organised a first face-to-face meeting attended by some 20 coordinators following #icon25 in Sulejówek. 

As part of their commitment to Interpret Europe, coordinators should organise a promotional event each year. HI-People will boost these initiatives by proposing a series of 20 national networking events over the next four years to be run by our coordinators. These are ‘professional meet-ups’ with a creative touch to promote IE and heritage interpretation to showcase our training but also to strengthen ties with national networks and build local partnerships. They could take the form of info sessions, training tasters, roundtables, site visits or mini-forums and involve museums, universities, parks, tourism boards and local authorities together with national IE members and trainers also attending to lend their support. 

The success of these networking events relies on the reputation and abilities of our coordinators to create a buzz and attract the right attendees. Yet, just like many freelance interpreters, the life of a voluntary coordinator can be a lonely one with limited support to overcome challenges to their work.

The message from the meeting was that ‘we are better together’ to support one another. While HI-People represents an opportunity to energise our community of coordinators around a collective project task, they should feel ready, willing and able to play their part. That means enabling new and established coordinators to share their skills and experience to address mutual needs and solve common problems together.

So, we started a course of action in Sulejówek. The HI-People project team and IE management are working with our coordinators to provide appropriate direction and support so that they can meet at regular online sessions and face-to-face once a year, to take the initiative to co-create their activities. This would mainly focus on getting to know each other better, feeling a sense of belonging, identifying common problems and offering support and solutions from one another. This is the healthy foundation we need for success, connecting IE management, subject and country coordinators more closely.

What are the key takeaways? It is important to be listened to, share experiences and feel a sense of belonging and togetherness. Our coordinators count, and a strong collective spirit where everyone contributes is essential for joint success, to build our community to not only play a crucial role in the HI-People project but also to support and value our coordinators’ work for their own professional development and for Interpret Europe.  

Want to learn more about HI-People? Visit the projects page on the IE website for more details.

[https://interpret-europe.net/projects-p/] 

Sandy Colvine is Project Manager for IE and coordinates the HI-People and Empaths projects. Based in Southern France, he is also an IE certified trainer and a former member of the IE Supervisory Committee. You can contact him at: alexander.colvine@interpret-europe.net. 

To cite this article: Colvine, Sandy (2025) ‘We’re better together!‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2025, pg. 11.
Available online: PDF Newsletter Spring 2025 

From September 23-28, 2024, Durrës in Albania hosted a comprehensive training programme focused on heritage-based interpretation, storytelling, and gamification. Organised in partnership with MuZEH Lab, a nonprofit organisation and small museum located in the heart of Durrës’s historical district, this event welcomed participants from the heritage sector and local community to explore the rich local heritage, using the ancient Roman road, Via Egnatia, as a case study. The event was also a part of the European Heritage Days manifestation and was supported by Interpret Europe.
Designed by Vasilka Dimitrovska, the programme showed participants how value-based interpretation—a concept that Interpret Europe has been developing in partnership with UNESCO for meaningful interpretation at World Heritage Sites—can transform cultural and natural heritage sites into inclusive, participatory, and reflective spaces. The training introduced innovative practices in heritage interpretation, aiming to revitalise the Via Egnatia, which started in ancient Rome and stretches from Durrës (Albania) to Ohrid (North Macedonia), Thessaloniki (Greece), and ultimately to ancient Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). Rather than relying on traditional teaching methods, the programme employed interactive and engaging formats with lots of interactive exercises to actively involve participants in heritage interpretation.
The training emphasised the significance of the Via Egnatia while creating a new interpretive model applicable to local heritage. It included innovative techniques designed to enhance engagement and create meaningful, interactive, and enjoyable experiences for all participants and future visitors along this ancient road.
Floria Marini, owner of ‘Alex’ Travel Agency in Tirana and a dedicated travel agent trainer, shared her heartfelt gratitude for the training. She highlighted the significance of heritage interpretation for the tourism sector, noting that it benefits not only tourist guides but also travel agencies and professional training centres across Albania. Floria emphasised the new approaches and methods introduced during the training, which can enhance the way we serve tourists and foster greater interest in our beautiful country.
The project ‘Reviving Via Egnatia: Heritage-based interpretation, storytelling, and gamification’ was delivered by an individual grant awarded to Vasilka Dimitrovska, supported by UNESCO through Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans (CC4WBS), a European Union-funded project aimed at fostering dialogue in the Western Balkans, encouraging the cultural and creative sectors to enhance their socio-economic impact.

Vasilka Dimitrovska is IE’s Country Coordinator North Macedonia and is an IE certified interpretive trainer. She is the director of HAEMUS – Center for Scientific Research and Promotion of Culture (www.haemus.org.mk), and the owner of Storytelling Skopje (www.storytelling-skopje.com). She can be contacted at: dimitrovska@haemus.org.mk.
Inesa Sulaj is one of the founders of MuZEH Lab (www.muzehlab.org.al), a nonprofit organisation and a small museum located in Durres, Albania. Inesa is a cultural heritage and museology consultant with expertise across the Balkans and Europe. She is IE’s office manager, supporting the organisation’s mission. She can be contacted at: inesa.sulaj@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article: Dimitrovska, Vasilka & Sulaj, Inesa (2024) ‘Reviving Via Egnatia: Heritage-based interpretation, storytelling and gamification’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2024, pg.22.
Available online: PDF-Newsletter_2024_3.pdf

The Big Green Project is funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the EU. It unites 15 partners from 13 countries, among which are non-governmental organisations, universities, artistic groups and art companies. The project seeks to explore innovative ways of using art as a promoter of sustainability. The mission of Interpret Europe, as one of the partners, is to demonstrate how heritage interpretation can support and enhance this process. The project is in its second year of implementation. Each year, artists from various countries take to experiment with a different element of the environment in their work – painting, sculpture, visual and applied arts, music, dance, theatre and more. The environmental theme of Year 2, which is currently being explored by the selected European artists, is SOIL. Last year they worked with AIR and they will dive into WATER in the next year.
The artists gather together with all project partners for a retreat where science and creativity are united. The first retreat took place in Hungary in October 2023, and the second in Latvia in August 2024. The hosting countries for years 3 and 4 are Portugal and Poland. The results of the artists’ work are then presented at various festivals, such as the Valley of Arts (Hungary) and Homo Novus (Latvia).
More information about the project can be found here: https://proprogressione.com/en/project/the-big-green/

Simana Markovska has been a sustainable tourism expert for 25 years, promoting heritage interpretation in Bulgaria through her work as both the chairperson of the association Pirin Tourism Forum and a freelancer. Simana also started the informal community of Interpret Bulgaria. She is an IE trainer for the Certified Interpretive Writing (CIW) course. She can be contacted at: smarkovska@mail.bg.

To cite this article: Markovska, Simana (2024) ‘Going Green, and Big ‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2024, pg.9.
Available online: PDF-Newsletter_2024_3.pdf

Interpret Europe, in partnership with UNESCO, is embarking on an exciting initiative to develop a ground-breaking methodology that shall transform UNESCO-designated sites into hubs for participatory learning through heritage interpretation, while tackling global challenges through heritage interpretation.
The project, led by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe and supported by the EU funded CC4WBs project, is set to pilot in Kotor, Montenegro, between 2024 and 2026. Alongside Kotor, other UNESCO sites across Europe were selected to participate as additional pilot areas, benefiting from international training and collaboration while at the same time allowing to test the new methodology in different local contexts. These other pilot areas will be announced during the first in-person training of the course, due to take place in Kotor on 28-31 October.
The collaborative vision
IE’s collaboration with UNESCO began in 2019, gradually evolving through workshops and regional courses aimed at visitor centres and heritage sites in Europe. A significant milestone was reached in 2023 at IE’s annual conference, Creating Learning Landscapes through Heritage Interpretation. Drawing from this, the new initiative extends the approach, linking it closely to UNESCO’s values of peace, intercultural dialogue, and sustainable development.This collaborative project also aligns with the UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education (2024), which advocates for heritage sites as vital learning environments, both formally and informally.
The learning journey in three phases
The project will unfold in three phases. First, each region will form a local consortium and nominate two participants for an intensive Interpretive Agents training workshop, scheduled for the end of October 2024 in Kotor. Post-training, these agents will work closely with IE mentors, involving local communities, to craft interpretive strategies tailored to their regions.
In the second phase, IE certified trainers will conduct Certified Interpretive Planner (CIP) courses, creating interpretive plans for several individual heritage sites from the region.
Following this, Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) and Certified Interpretive Writer (CIW) courses will help local participants develop programmes and exhibits, integrating interpretation with the strategic goals of each site. All the plans shall link to the overarching interpretive strategy.
Moving forward
As the Learning landscapes project takes shape, a new chapter in heritage interpretation is unfolding – one that embraces education for sustainable development, global citizenship, and intercultural understanding. For all involved, from site managers to local participants, this initiative promises to deepen connections to heritage, inspire action, and contribute to a brighter, more inclusive future.
For more information and updates, keep an eye on the IE website as we continue to shape this exciting journey!
https://interpret-europe.net/initiatives/learning-landscapes-value-based-interpretive-planning-at-unesco-designated-sites-2024-2026/
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/enhancing-unesco-designated-sites-learning-landscapes 

Vanessa Vaio has a degree in Natural Sciences and 30 years of experience, cultivating her love for gardens, landscapes and the stories that connect people and places. From designing masterplans for historical sites to training educators and guides, Vanessa has collaborated with famous museums, villas and parks, such as Villa Carlotta, and UNESCO sites including Mantova and Sabbioneta. Today she is dedicated to inspiring individuals and organisations to tell their heritage stories with authenticity and passion. She is IE’s Country Coordinator Italy. You can contact her at: vaio.vane@gmail.com. 

To cite this article: Vaio, Vanessa (2024) ‘Kick-off for the Learning Landscapes initiative ‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2024, pg.6.
Available online: PDF-Newsletter_2024_3.pdf