Do you want to become a Certified Interpretive Trainer?
To be eligible to take part in the  training course, you must:

• hold a certification in any IE course by the start of the CIT course,
• have prior experience in adult learning, and
• be active in a  field relevant to the course or module you wish to deliver (e.g. guiding, writing, planning).

Yet becoming an IE trainer is much more than meeting formal requirements.

It means becoming part of a strong and inspiring community of over 30 trainers who deliver IE courses across Europe in their own languages. It also means acting as an ambassador for heritage interpretation, actively shaping IE’s training programme and growing through collaboration, mentoring and shared challenges.

The IE CIT course is just  the starting point. The real journey begins once the course ends.

Course format
The IE CIT course will last five days on-site and will be preceded by four mandatory online sessions in the months leading up to the course. These online meetings are designed to build connections, exchange approaches, and prepare for the on-site training.
After the IE CIT course, participants will have the opportunity to join three-day upgrade sessions to become trainers for specific IE courses (CIG, CIW, CIP). These will take place throughout 2026, depending on demand.

How to apply
Places are limited so if you would like to join the CIT course, please make sure you submit your complete application by 9 September 2025.

Your application should include the following:

• a motivational letter explaining why you wish to become an IE trainer,
• proof of your previous experience 
• a selected part of the homework (translated into English if necessary) which you submitted for your IE course to secure certification
• a completed pre-course questionnaire

Please ensure that all required documents are submitted in a single email by the deadline to Valya Stergioti: vster@outlook.com

Course fee
Following IE’s fairer fee system, the cost for the CIT course is as follows:

An additional fee of €470 will be charged to cover accommodation, shuttle service, full board catering, and museum entrance fees.

This amount includes:

• 6 nights of accommodation (from the evening of 1 February to the morning of 7 February 2026)
• Full board catering (from dinner on 1 February to breakfast on 7 February), including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee breaks
• Entrance fees for all scheduled museum visits

Please note that course upgrades to be organised later in 2026 are not included in this fee.

A first selection of participants will be announced by 30 September. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to read IE’s training policy and confirm their interest before the final list of participants is concluded. Once the list is finalised, selected participants will receive a pro forma invoice with payment details.

For any questions, feel free to contact us:

Andrijana Milisavljević (logistical information): andrijana.milisavljevic@interpret-europe.net
Valya Stergioti (content-related information): vster@outlook.com

The venue– Jugendherberge Frankfurt
The upcoming IE CIT  course will take place in the centre of Frankfurt, Germany, at the Jugendherberge Frankfurt – Haus der Jugend. This urban youth hostel overlooks the Main River and is just a few steps away from many of the city’s cultural institutions and venues, Most importantly, it offers a stimulating setting where we can connect the course content with the reality of urban heritage, participation, and community life.

All participants will stay in twin rooms with private bathrooms, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided throughout the training.
Thanks to its central location, the course venue allows us to integrate on-site exploration into the course programme. Participants will join curated study visits and engage in discussions on location, from museum galleries to public spaces, directly linked to core IE CIT themes:

• the four qualities of interpretation (heritage, participation, meanings & values, stewardship),
• sustainability,
• conflict and dialogue,
• co-creation and
• local engagement.

Whether we are reflecting on inclusive narratives in a museum exhibition, exploring participatory tools along the riverbank, or sharing professional experiences over dinner, Frankfurt will become part of the learning process.

Feel free to find out more about our venue: https://www.jugendherberge-frankfurt.de/

Want to know more?
We are organising an online event for all those interested in applying to the IE CIT course.

Date: 2 September 2025
Time: 15:00–16:00 CEST

This will be an open Q&A session with the trainers. The session will be recorded. If you are unable to attend live, you can request the recording at: andrijana.milisavljevic@interpret-europe.net

CIT 2025/2026 – Timeline

We look forward to receiving your application and welcoming you at this next step of your interpretive journey.

The CIT course is supported by a four-year network grant that is part of the European Union Creative Europe programme.

*Photo Credits: Michal Medek, CIT course 2023 in Arnoga, Italy.

The main task throughout the IE Certified Interpretive Planner (CIP) course held in Kotor during the last week of March tested participants to do just that.

The course was run as part of the UNESCO project Learning Landscapes with the aim of fostering landscapes in active learning and engagement. The Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, as the property with stunning universal value, is a pilot project which will have to obtain the integral Strategy of heritage interpretation in the next few months. 

The MPI “Museums” Kotor, on the side of the Municipality, took a part in its implementation, delegating two agents, Mileva Mršić and Jelena Čečur. Their task will be to consider the architectural quality of this property, including its fortified and open cities, settlements, palaces, and monastic complexes, which are in harmony with the surrounding natural environment. They will also have to take into account when developing the Strategy, the unique testimony to the Bay’s historical role in the transmission of Mediterranean cultures into the Balkans over the centuries.

The course, run as a partnership between Interpret Europe and the UNESCO Regional Office of Science and Culture, gathered 17 participants from different fields of expertise. Over the course of five intensive days of educational, interactive, and hands-on sessions, we developed and enhanced our skills in presenting and communicating the value of our cultural and natural heritage through various methods and techniques of heritage interpretation.

The main square in Kotor, the Square of Arms, served as the central point of our exploration. Although it represents just a small section of the UNESCO-protected area, this space offered a rich setting for examining various heritage-related phenomena. We explored the key stages of heritage interpretation, learning how to assess its value and how to present it in ways that are engaging and meaningful for both visitors and the local community. 

This course contributed to our understanding from multiple perspectives. Given the diverse professional backgrounds of the participants, we gained valuable insight into the importance of both cultural and natural heritage, and how the method of interpretation significantly influences its recognition and appreciation. Considering that the workshop focused on universal values and involved the exchange of diverse experiences applicable in numerous ways to heritage interpretation, with an emphasis on innovation, sustainability, and universality, this experience is undoubtedly significant for the personal development of participants.

Visiting the site of this square multiple times and observing it from a completely different perspective proved that everything depends on the angle of perception and the way a particular phenomenon is presented to its audience. The education served as an introduction to the broader challenges that lie ahead: raising awareness of the significance of the environment we inhabit, addressing the continuous and alarming degradation of this heritage, and recognising the urgent need for actions aimed at its preservation and meaningful interpretation.

Using the interpretation of the main square as a case study, and guided by the overall goals of the course, we were challenged to create an interpretation plan for a specific site of our choice within Kotor’s UNESCO-protected area. This task will allow us to apply what we’ve learned, combining the theory and practice through thoughtful engagement with the cultural and natural layers of the place.

Milica Kašćelan is a master’s student in Journalism at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro. She is currently an intern at the MPI “Museums” Kotor. She can be contacted at: milica.kascelan@gmail.com. 

Jelena Čečur holds an MSc in International Relations. She has worked for ten years as a documentarist and archivist at MPI “Museums” Kotor. Her research focuses on the history of the Bay of Kotor, presenting the cultural heritage of Perast through exhibitions and articles. She can be contacted at: jelena.cecur@muzejikotor.me.

To cite this article: Kašćelan, Milica & Čečur, Jelena (2025) ‘Layers of meaning: A journey through Kotor’s living heritage‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2025, pg. 15.
Available online: PDF Newsletter Spring 2025 

Rochester, a picturesque jewel in south-east England, has a problem. 

In April 2024 Medway Council tourism department closed as a cost cutting measure. Businesses must now be responsible for increasing visits to our towns. 

Mid 2024, Medway Council launched Round 3 of ‘Shared Prosperity Funding’, aimed at ‘levelling up’ deprived areas following the Covid-19 pandemic. It was divided into three application ‘strands’, and Mrs Baker’s Medway Theatre Company Ltd, of which I am a director, applied under the ‘Pride in Place’ segment. 

I argued that: 

• Low pay also leads to only hobbyists coming forward to do the job – for pocket-money rather than for proper reward.

• Medway Arts Tours prove that it is possible to charge visitors an appropriate fee and to pay above minimum wage. 

• Both youth and diversity need to be reflected by our costumed guides telling stories of our dockside towns. 

We were awarded £17,851. Of this, £9,833 purchased the TourTalk 100 system – protecting guide voices and limiting sound bleed. The rest was used for upskilling local people with the Interpret Europe’s Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) and Module for  Live Interpretation (MLI) training – in a first for IE training delivered in the UK. 

We aimed for 15 places but ended up with seven people on the course. The course was an intense 7- day period, running from 3-9 March 2025.

The IE trainers did a magnificent job combining the CIG course with the MLI module. Participants produced a range of real characters – giving insight into difficult or challenging topics, with interpretive talks on their choice of phenomenon. Characters included: a 17th century statesman (played by a person of colour) with a backstory about his fortune coming from the slave trade; a champion female swimmer c.1900; from 1871 a chimney sweep – too tall to go up chimneys and a professional mourner; an 18th century ‘lady of the night’; a ‘gong-scourer’ cleaning Rochester Castle and a lady milliner, making fashionable ‘cloche’ hats in her shop in Rochester High Street in 1920. 

All participants are now eagerly completing their ‘homework’, in order to obtain the final certification. In the month since training, three participants have delivered paid work, and another two have work lined up.

Thanks to the involvement of Interpret Europe, international awareness of Medway is reaching a global audience. International visitors are booking Medway Arts Tours as a result of online PR about the IE training of our guides. Visitors are also reaping the benefits of interpretive talks devised using IE methodology. 

Here is just one of the reviews we have received since we started road-testing these new offers: 

“From the moment we arrived we realised we were in for a treat. For fear of spoiling the magic, I won’t go into too much detail. Suffice to say we would totally recommend this guided tour. A must for everyone. Our guides were passionate about Rochester and its famous inhabitants. Entertaining, knowledgeable and engaging. Thank you all so much for making our visit so special.” Lisa, UK 16 March 2025.

The next round of shared prosperity funding has been launched in Medway – so watch this space! 

If you are in the UK, you can book Medway Arts Tours on https://www.getyourguide.com/rochester-uk-l4661/

Kate Mechedou was Creative Director of Past Pleasures Ltd until 2020. Kate is now director of Mrs Baker’s Medway Theatre Company Ltd, producing historically inspired performances, and Medway Arts Tours. Kate is a co-director of Medway Play Lab CIC and helped to write Medway Cultural Strategy. She can be contacted at: kate.mbmtc@gmail.com.

To cite this article: Mechedou, Kate (2025) ‘IE training – Solving Medway problems‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2025, pg. 12-13.
Available online: PDF Newsletter Spring 2025 

I would like to share some of my experience of the last ten years as a trainer, and highlight some aspects that I consider relevant for the successful development and delivery of training courses for interpretive guides.

One aspect that continues to seem decisive to me is knowing who participates in the courses, what background or relationship they have with the subject and their interests in the course, and knowing where they want to apply the knowledge they will learn. These facts allow us to give a clearer context to understand their reflections, opinions and as trainers to be able to deepen our answers in the direction of their interest. A short questionnaire before the start of the course can help us in this sense. Having a basic profile of our participants through direct contact also allows us to create a behavior of fundamental trust between the trainer and the participants, in the same way as it would be between a guide and their customers.

This aspect becomes more relevant in intensive courses —of five or more days—, especially with a residential stay, and even more so when the participants do not know each other: the course turns into an opportunity for a personal process of change.

The knowledge of our participants also allows us to enhance the skills of these students by encouraging them to go beyond their comfortable limits and fearlessly delve deeper into aspects of their interest. And at the same time, knowing your participants better can ensure you create equal opportunities for participation. For example, in a remote area in Colombia it was necessary to create spaces for the children of the female participants —many of whom live alone— to be able to play safely nearby so as to allow the mothers to take part in the course, because they did not have the resources to pay a babysitter.

It is also relevant to know about the place: the local culture, especially of those places that are little known, are more inhospitable or with minority languages. One of the most noteworthy aspects is to understand that the use of intermediate languages ​​is often a source of misunderstandings, the result of ignoring (or not understanding/ incorrectly interpreting) the nuances that comes with each language. We can translate the meaning of the words but often the language does not imply the cultural context. This can occur in many places in the world with the use of a language such as English, or the use of Portuguese or Spanish in Latin America. The nuances of the words allow us to understand their deep conception of the world.

Knowing the local culture allows us to begin to have a wider picture, beyond the literal translation of words. For example, saying in many Latin American countries that we will continue “in a moment” has several interpretations in minutes, because the culture of time is inherent in each place and climate. I have learned not to use the word moment, but to specify the precise minutes in which a task must be carried out.

In this sense, a determining role in many of the places where I have taught is the relevance of giving value to very local aspects, both natural and cultural heritage. Everyday life often makes us lose the reference to the authenticity of what we see, so sometimes the inhabitants of the place take away value from what could be interpreted as something extraordinary by a visitor. Thus, it is important to give relevance to small, unknown or traditional phenomena outside of the spectacle of what the world of tourism often sells. This can also become a source of conflict, if the local public feel that the process of interpretation is discrediting aspects that highlight their simplicity of life, their way of thinking or their origins based in places far away from the admired western world.

In a course I delivered in the Amazon, some of the participating professional guides shied away from acknowledging their status as natives and their identification with their local languages, which are totally minority and unknown to the rest of the planet. For many of them, it was seen as a disadvantage to show that their native language was not known, and they preferred to show that they spoke languages ​​of European origin. However, throughout the course they realised the importance of having a unique, genuine knowledge that gave meaning to their “natural home”, which is the jungle, and that from here visitors could deepen their understanding of their holistic world where everything is interrelated and where culture and nature merge into one. Interpretively, you recognise yourself from the authenticity of the place where you grew up, because it allows you to create depth and connect with the audience in very diverse aspects that are all linked (emotional, cognitive, spiritual, etc.).

Another determining factor that many students emphasise, especially those with more professional experience, is the ability to have a simple —but at the same time very practical— context to use the various tools that are given throughout the course. It is still very common to see that the training given to guides in many countries is still based on the guide’s own story, leaving aside the element of public participation.

Having a knowledge structure of each of the tools and a practical and simple context of the fundamental bases of interpretation, far from any particular school or author, gives personal freedom and a lot of creativity to those who use it.

The structure creates a space for personal growth, instead of a space of imprisonment —as many believe—, in the same way as allowing the information to be the context that gives meaning to the interpretation and not the centre of its performance, which gives space for public participation and the creation of a true dialogue.

In the same way, enhancing the use of imagination beyond conventionalisms allows you to enhance your natural capacity for imagination and create inventiveness on how to involve the public, the material to be taken, or to reconsider many elements of the immediate environment that easily become phenomena with high impact potential. Thus, it is still very common to see that interpretation is understood as what is reported about heritage, more than how our heritage is interpreted.

Sustainability is an important aspect of any course, even more so since Covid left its mark on us. The very broad conception —following the parameters of United Nations— gives wings to its application to many of the participants, where the social and economic aspects are often forgotten by the more official discourse that reaches remote places and that give a more complete visibility to the problems and environmental virtues. It is crucial to consider how sustainability can be brought into every aspect of the course, from the physical aspects of delivery through to the content and discussions that ensue, to maximise instilling these principles in our participants and thereby helping them to inspire more mindful, planet-conscious visitors and travellers after experiencing their guided events.

Finally, I highlight the need to value working on abstract aspects far removed from their cultures, such as themes or messages, because some participants really find these difficult to consider. The tools of interpretation remain the gateway for many guides to an authenticity found at every step.

Enjoy the trip!

Evarist March Sarlat is the director of NaturalWalks based in Barcelona, Spain. He is an experienced IE trainer and has delivered many courses in Europe and South America. He can be contacted at: evarist@naturalwalks.com. 

To cite this article: Sarlat March, Evarist (2024) ‘Lessons from South America‘in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2024, pg.12-13.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PDF-Newsletter-2024_2.pdf

Interpret Europe has been working on the development of training for live interpretation for years. Costumed performances immerse the visitors into another time and place. It presents an opportunity to bring a historical site to life, to reflect on the past, and to craft a meaningful experience. However, crafting such training brings a lot of challenges. Over the years, we have tried to overcome those challenges. This spring, we tested the completed module in Prague.

Development of the training 

The original plan was to create a five-day certified training course. We still haven’t abandoned that idea, but the practice has shown that it’s difficult to organise. We have been focused on making a shorter module work as smoothly as possible.  The first pilot training took six days, and it took place in Budapest, Hungary, back in 2018. It was organised in collaboration with the UK-based company, Past Pleasures, and the trainers were Past Pleasure’s Kate Howard and Mark Wallis, both experienced live interpreters and trainers in that field. Some Interpret Europe trainers took part in this course, and this was very beneficial as it was easier to adjust the content. The goal was to make it more relevant to our members and to highlight the heritage interpretation principles. 

The next opportunity for pilot training took place in Split, Croatia, in 2020. This time, our then-training coordinator and one of the most active contributors to IE’s training programme, Valya Stergioti, joined forces with Mark Wallis. Together they balanced the arts of being a skillful costumed performer and an interpreter who creates meaningful experiences. It was decided afterward that it should, for now, be limited to a shorter module. Iva Silla, an IE trainer and experienced live interpreter from Secret Zagreb, took over the task and worked closely with IE’s training coordinators and Mark Wallis. She has been actively involved in schedule adjustments and created new exercises, testing them on several occasions in Croatia. The Czech Institute for Heritage Interpretation also hosted Mark Wallis for a five-day training in June 2023 organised by Michal Medek. 

Finally, this spring, Michal organised a complete two-day training based on Iva Silla’s outline, and this was a chance to test everything in detail. Ten participants, mainly museum employees from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, actively took part. They offered detailed feedback and gave us valuable insight, confirmed some of our doubts and uncertainties, and allowed us to fine-tune and wrap up the module. 

Challenges and concerns

The main struggle with the creation of this training is to offer a good balance of content. Judging from our experience, participants usually come from diverse backgrounds and have a varied comprehension of both live interpretation and interpretation overall. In just two or three days, we should be able to address the ones who have experience in live performances, and those who don’t, those who understand the qualities of heritage interpretation, and those who don’t. We should be able to implement IE’s training principles and meet the expectations of a wide range of participants, and partner organisations. 

Based on the feedback of the participants from the recent training, and the feedback of the participants who had tested out some of the exercises beforehand, we have managed to combine all of this and create a very efficient training module that offers a motivating learning environment. 

Another main concern is that the module might actually be too short after all. The feedback says that it was very intense, and we could use more time for discussion and exchange. As trainers, we agree that this module is much more intense than other modules that Interpret Europe offers. Our recommendation would be to spread it over three days. In the future, we could aim towards developing a five-day training course, but we are still happy to offer this module as, in a very short time, it offers a chance for the participants to feel empowered and grow as professionals in the field of live interpretation. It also creates a firm base to continue their work and build their characters. 

Training in Prague

The training in Prague took place on 30 April – 1 May in a baroque mansion. It was a perfect venue – recently renovated, but its rooms are empty, which showed us the power of live interpretation for bringing places to life. The palace was open for visitors, too, and they were very intrigued by the participants’ performances. That gave the participants a unique chance to perform for real audiences and to realise the effect costumed interpretation has. 

We were eager to try the optimal version of the training by securing costumes for everyone, even the trainers. Two trainers delivered the module on site and we also invited Mark Wallis to join us for an hour-long online presentation. He shared his vast experience and the participants spoke highly about this part. 

Some of the topics included in the training module are: the qualities of heritage interpretation; understanding of themes; body language; improvisational skills; ways to involve the audience; dealing with difficult situations and participants; peer-evaluation; and developing a character and a scene. 

Throughout the module, participants add to a board more dos and don’ts of live interpretation based on what they have learned. On the second day, the participants combined all those skills to create a scene. It was very demanding. They were supposed to bring the site to life and make it relevant for the performance to take place right there. They were supposed to offer a meaningful performance, guided by an interpretive theme. Finally, this wasn’t even supposed to be a performance, instead, it was supposed to be an interpretation that would involve the visitors. 

Next steps

When developing a new training offer, one of our main challenges is finding the opportunity to repeatedly run them and starting a network of adequate trainers. All of the pilot trainings happened thanks to the support of our partners, such as the Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism, Interpret Croatia and Muze from Croatia, the Czech Institute for Heritage Interpretation and Visegrad fund. 

We now search for colleagues who have valuable experience in costumed performances that involve visitors in order to review the module and become future Interpret Europe live interpretation trainers. 

Another important step in the implementation of this module will be creation of a manual. Literature about live interpretation is scarce, and some of our members can offer valuable insight that could help future live interpreters in their work. We are searching for a funding opportunity to develop such a manual. 

Would you like your stakeholders or employees to improve their skills through a unique training experience packed with practical exercises? Interpret Europe might be able to help with the brand-new Module on Live Interpretation. Let’s bring our heritage sites to life!

Iva Silla is an IE Certified Interpretive Trainer. She is the author of Secret Zagreb activities (www.secret-zagreb.com) and the Croatia Underrated podcast (www.croatiaunderrated.com). She can be contacted at: iva@questoftales.com. Michal Medek is one of IE’s Training Coordinators. Contact him at: michal.medek@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article: Silla, Iva & Medek, Michal (2024) ‘Taking you to another time and place‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2024, pg. 10-11.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PDF-Newsletter-2024_2.pdf

It was my pleasure to attend the IE Certified Interpretive Planner (CIP) course that took place recently in Athens, Greece. I work for a company with extensive experience in producing high-quality natural and cultural interpretations. Due to my completely different background, it wasn’t clear to me what interpretation is, or that it even existed. 

To assist me in gaining a thorough understanding of the concept and principles of interpretation, my employer arranged for me to attend this IE course. During the six-day course, we all worked in planning teams and visited a heritage site in Kaisariani, to gain insights and develop our proposals. A piece of history is lost with time. To prevent this from happening in Kaisariani, we made an interpretive plan for its refugee houses that are a century old. We walked around for hours to provoke curiosity and interest by relating the area to people’s knowledge, experience, background and values. We wanted to become familiar, collect as much information as possible, create experiences and inspire people to find their meaning and interact. We visited the GAIA exhibition, the first interactive exhibition on climate change, to get some inspiration on interpretation interactive tools. 

We enjoyed every minute of the procedure and were excited that our plan was taking shape. On the final day, we presented our plan proposals to our fellows and a few members of the Kaisariani community. Although it was our first attempt to interpret, we received positive feedback. My understanding as a newcomer to the field is that balancing the needs of the visitors, the stakeholders and the heritage itself can be quite challenging, but once this balance is achieved, it benefits all parties involved.

The course was not only an inspiration, but it has also been a complete revelation. It has changed my perspective on work and showed me how to create experiences and tell stories that allow visitors to discover the deeper meaning of our heritage. Greece has a huge cultural heritage and interpretation can play an immense role in its preservation and promotion. I was lucky to benefit from the experience of an amazing and inspiring IE Certified Interpretive Trainer and Planner, and I now realise that I am on the right path working and enjoying every step of the way to become a Certified Interpretive Planner. As I said to the other participants, I attended this course looking for knowledge and inspiration and transformed it into a meaningful experience.

Katerina Mela has worked in Secretarial Support at OikoM Ltd. since 2023. She has recently joined IE and is a newbie to interpretation. She can be contacted at: kmela@oikom.gr

To cite this article: Mela, Katerina (2024) ‘Getting familiar with interpretive planning‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2024, pg.9.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PDF-Newsletter-2024_2.pdf

Time flies. Almost one year has now passed since I attended the IE Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) course at Valdres Folk Museum in Fagernes, Norway. For me, the course was an eye-opener, and an initiation into the practice of focusing on the importance of singularity, universal values and interpretive techniques. Under the guidance of our trainer, and with crucial aid from fellow participants, I think I finally ‘got it’.
On my trip back to Trøndelag, I felt like a new person in terms of the essential insights, and the way I was going to apply this new knowledge to my own work. Also, I was looking forward to the homework assignment, with its fresh possibilities of transferring some of my newly acquired awareness of strong phenomena to a place I knew ‘from the inside out’.
To be honest, the homework assignment was trickier than I expected. It turned out I was still trapped in the old habit of being used to completing a heritage walk without dealing with any general theme or well-prepared talks. After struggling with it for a few months, by foot and in thought, I finally got the positive push I needed to recognise myself as an interpretive guide. The push came from Sandy Colvine, our trainer, with his encouraging comments to my homework answers.
So, from late summer onwards I was ready to make a difference. After accomplishing my certification, the circumstances created a unique opportunity for me. In only four months, from spring to early autumn, I was transformed into a CIG with a full-time job in Melhus municipality, working with heritage interpretation in an open-air museum, along trails, in the local Sagauka festival, and in the public library.
Introducing work sheets for talks and walks represented a necessary professionalisation in the role I was going to play in the management of local natural and cultural heritage. But I was soon to discover that my preparations could turn out in different ways than expected. One walk could be a success, with engaged participants and good conversations related to phenomena along the route, while another was only a partial success with limited participation regarding open-ended questions. On one occasion I was supposed to give a talk on environmental issues to a group of adolescents. In practice, I’m afraid the indoor session ended up looking more like a formal teaching situation with very little participation from my ‘pupils’.
After gaining more experience through practice, I’ve given some thoughts to the various receptions along the way. Not surprisingly, people in smaller groups are more likely to actively participate in a conversation, especially if they already know each other well. But, in my experience this is not always the case. Sometimes even smaller groups are reluctant to engage in a dialogue. Sadly, the adolescents are often too cool to converse, but this is probably not a behaviour restricted to my region alone. Maybe smaller groups in a more sensory stimulating setting could be the ‘panacea’?
As I see it, inhabitants in this part of Scandinavia seem to find some elements of interpretation rather awkward. The participants are simply not used to that kind of involvement. We are generally quite anxious when it comes to revealing our deeper thoughts, at least in a group setting. I suspect that guides in other parts of Europe encounter people more eager to be provoked. On the other hand, I may be totally wrong regarding these tendencies.
At the time of writing, I’m looking forward to a new season of heritage walks and talks here in Melhus, actively applying and practicing interpretive techniques in my daily work. I see this process as a mutual development concerning both guide and participants. Perhaps the Norwegian ‘stiffness’ is finally softening? Last, but not least, I enjoy being a member of the Interpret Europe family. Indeed, after years of searching, discovering the art of interpretation and the association promoting it feels like coming home. 

Kjell André Brevik is employed as a heritage interpreter in Melhus municipality, Norway. His area of responsibility covers the open-air museum Horg Bygdatun and the public library. He holds a Master’s degree in archaeology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He can be contacted at: kjebre@melhus.kommune.no.

To cite this article: André Brevik, Kjell (2024) ‘The awkwardness of being provoked‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2024, pg.22-23.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PDF-Newsletter_2024_1-spring.pdf

A rare and exciting sight happened in the first days of June in the Serbian town of Zaječar. The first group of Interpret Europe’s Certified Interpretive Guides (CIG) in the country received their certificates, while, at the same time, the second training was already underway. The participants of the second training joined the newly certified ones in their celebrations.
EU for cultural heritage and tourism – that is the name of a project, managed by the German development cooperation organization (GIZ), that made the first Interpret Europe training in Serbia possible. The project recognises tourism as a significant economic potential for the development of Eastern Serbia and the Lower Danube region. Building capacities is a part of the project. Some international consultants and trainers were a part of the capacity building, including Croatian agency IRTA. They already had insights to the potential of Interpret Europe training and suggested its implementation in this particular project. The project team felt there was an alignment of the goals of Interpret Europe’s training, and the project’s goals, and organised the training perfectly, gathering interested stakeholders from all over the region, from very diverse backgrounds.

The first CIG training was marked by the motivated and positive attitude of the participants, which led to many fun moments of serious learning. The participants practiced by sharing inspiration about the phenomena of the towns of Veliko Gradište, Kladovo, and the entire region. The region at the banks of the mighty river Danube enchanted the training team and re-enchanted the participants with its unique historical monuments, natural wonders, colourful personalities from the past, folklore, and even some real magic. Yes, Eastern Serbia is a magical place, sometimes quite literally. But that part of its heritage is covered by a thick veil of secrecy. When it comes to magic, I learned from the residents to give you nothing but a teaser.
Most of the participants were quick to deliver their homework. They used it as an opportunity to think deeply about interpreting their sites. Medieval castles, archaeological sites, exhibitions, a national park, and more, are now ready to be presented through meaningful walks.

Participants from the National Museum of Zaječar, led by its manager, saw the potential of this training, and soon enough, he organised another course for his destination. This time, a special perk for the whole group was a day at a UNESCO site, Felix Romuliana, the place of the last apotheosis. Apotheosis is a rite of turning a Roman emperor into a god. The day at Felix Romuliana was inspiring, as the participants revived the place by trying out some skills of live interpretation.
In their final presentations, the 25 participants of the two courses chose some surprising details and presented their astonishing heritage. We found out how to trick a catfish the traditional way, with the help of a simple bućkalica device. We learned about some incredible musicians, including the one who knew how to stir spirits with the sounds of his violin so that people wouldn’t want to leave a bar for seven days! By the way, the event organised for the newly certified members was in a similar style – the training team from Croatia understood quite well what the kafana bar and its musicians mean for life in those parts. We hope one of the future Interpret Europe events will take place in the region so you can get a taste of this unique experience, too.

We heard about the villages that lie at the bottom of the fierce Danube, and we felt its might on our skin, on a cold windy day. We participated in cherishing the Vlach tongue, and the story of the intimidating forest goddess Muma Paduri. Some participants were brave enough to try live interpretation, and many dared to take up the difficult task of interpreting intangible heritage, through music, dances, customs, and stories. All of us fell in love with every corner of the region, constantly amazed by its wonders.
Interpret Europe has had members from Serbia for years now. But it wasn’t until 2023 that a real opportunity for a CIG course to take place in the country showed up. It so happened that it landed on the most fertile soil of Eastern Serbia. We hope this is just the beginning. Just like the beans from Veliko Gradište, that supposedly bring good luck and fertility, we all hope the interpretive seeds will grow all over the country and beyond. A big welcome to our new members and certified members from Serbia! Let’s cherish the CIG magic together!   

Image 1: Family legacy as a choice for interpretive speech by Iva Silla
Image 2: First Serbian Group Receives Certificates, Unknown author

Iva Silla is an Interpret Europe Certified Interpretive Trainer for the CIG course. She is the author of Secret Zagreb walking tours (www.secret-zagreb.com) and Croatia Underrated podcast (www.croatiaunderrated.com). Contact her at iva@questoftales.com.

To cite this article:  Silla, Iva (2023) ‘Eastern Serbia on a roll‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2023, pg.18-19.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Newsletter-2023_2-summer.pdf

A brief: Turning things upside down to get a better perspective of our heritage is always a good idea! How breaking the old patterns of thought, though difficult, can lead to greater new perspectives.
Trying to study or make an important decisions during strong “juzina”, a warm southern wind bringing rain to Dubrovnik, is never a good idea! The feeling during juzina is equivalent to wearing a cheap polyester suit while meeting your mother-in-law for the first time: hot and sweaty! It just so happened that on a day like this, our Interpret Europe course started. 

I joined on an invitation of my good friend and now mentor, Max, though I did not need much convincing since a ‘curiosity killed the cat’ kind of attitude is what brought me to this line of work in the first place. Unhappily I will admit part of me was thinking what kind of mumbo jumbo this was, however, I would feel bad for passing on a great opportunity to see what was out there.
The classroom was located in an old Austro-Hungarian building from the turn of the century where Dubrovnik’s archives and county offices are located; its long corridors and ceiling windows did not promise much. Some new faces in the classroom mixed with some old ones and with an inevitable double shot of espresso in my hand from a nearby coffee machine, I raised my expectations.
Right from the start, our trainer unleashed his endless enthusiasm, questioning what could be considered as heritage, while sliding through the presentation. It was a great way of starting the course which already had our little grey cells lined up for an early morning fitness routine you keep putting off. The first day ended with many question marks, but we were promised a light at the end of the tunnel.
The first couple of days of the course felt like studying Chinese while having a very bad hangover. A change of perspective was needed, and it was time to pull out all the deep-rooted patterns of learnt presenting skills like weeds. Going out of the classroom was a literal out of the box thinking experience as we went to a nearby forgotten little park for some activities. The adult in us was put on stand-by, and we turned on that childhood feeling when learning was fun and you were completely unaware of it. Something had to give. The top became bottom, left became right, and that once forgotten detail blossomed into an idea. Like the much awaited wind of “Bura”, a northern wind which clears the sky, our minds began to open to some new ideas. The hangover was gone.
A few new friendships forged, and with a shot of “travarica”, we ended the course leisurely hanging out in the evening. Chatting away with my fellow colleagues I realised that probably the best decision in my life was to become a guide. This course made me appreciate my calling even more as being an interpreter not only requires certain skills, but holds a fair amount of responsibility – at the end of the day you are trying to find some sense of a place and put some substance to a meaning, hoping that the people who join you can do the same.

Images:  Iva Hrdlicka

Iva Hrdlicka is a Guide working in the town of Dubrovnik, Croatia, and its surrounding area.  After a colourful career working in international companies in the field of real estate, executive search consultancy and event management, she came back to her hometown Dubrovnik, where inspired by its intriguing history, she embarked on a new career as a tourist guide. She can be contacted at: ivahrd@yahoo.com.

To cite this article:  Hrdlicka, Iva (2023) ‘New perspectives‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2023, pg.17.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Newsletter-2023_2-summer.pdf

In Ogulin, a fairytale town in the heart of Croatia, a group of hard-working, enthusiastic and cheerful people gathered in March for IE’s Certified Interpretative Guide (CIG) course. The course leaders, with their knowledge, enthusiasm and cheerfulness, imparted knowledge and skills to the group and enriched us with new knowledge, as well as friendships that were born thanks to the workshop. My colleague, Sabine Gvozdić, and I from Croatia were joined on the course by a group from the Polish museum Muzeum Józef Piłsudskiego w Sulejówka.

We spent the first four days acquiring theoretical knowledge and practicing what we learned in pairs or groups. We spent a lot of time outside visiting the phenomena in the inner city centre of Ogulin and preparing for the last day with various activities. We spent the last day of the workshop holding our interpretive talks in which we presented all the skills we had learned, and at the same time we practiced mutual evaluation. In addition to excellent interpretive speeches, we showed mutual support, motivation and pride in each other.

Although we agreed that the week was quite tiring, we parted heavy-hearted from each other, grateful because in addition to the invaluable knowledge that we had gained, we also created wonderful friendships that we believe will last a long time.

First Image: Experiencing the exhibition in Ivana’s House of Fairy Tales by Ivana Jagić Boljat
Second Image: Participants experience the phenomenon in Đula’s park in Ogulin, by Žana Kirasić

Žana Kirasić has a master’s degree in Croatian language and literature education. She is currently employed as an expert associate for educational and creative programmes at Ivan’s House of Fairy Tales in Ogulin, Croatia.

To cite this article:  Kirasić, Žana (2023) ‘Phenomena created friendships‘in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2023, pg.15.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Newsletter-2023_2-summer.pdf