HOW TO PUT THE BEAUTY OF FARO PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICE?

We are pleased to invite you to a seminar dedicated to the implementation of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society, better known as the Faro Convention.  It is a Framework Convention, which promotes a wide understanding of heritage and its relationship to communities and society as well as the rights of citizens to access and participate in cultural heritage.

The seminar aims to discuss the implementation of the Faro Convention, drawing notably on the experience in the Baltic Sea Region. How has the Convention been implemented? How to make the community perspective more visible? What are the challenges different countries are facing, what kind of solutions have been found?
  
The seminar takes place on September 19 in the beautiful island of Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site right next to Helsinki city center. Optional site visits will take place in September 20 in the Helsinki region highlighting examples of community projects in the heritage field. 

The seminar is organised jointly by Finnish Heritage Agency and the Council of Europe. Working language will be English. The event will also be streamed online and a video will be recorded of the keynotes of day one. 

Please register by 5th September on the bottom of this page  Do sign in also as an online participant or if you would like to receive the video afterwards.

DRAFT PROGRAM

DAY 1
Thursday, September 19
Suomenlinna, Tenaille von Fersen 

9.00 Registration and coffee
10.00 Setting the scene
Welcome and introduction by the representatives of the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Finnish Heritage Agency and the Governing Body of Suomenlinna 
10.00 SESSION 1: Public administration as a catalyst for the Faro Convention
10.30 The role of Faro Convention in the implementation process of the Finnish Cultural Heritage Strategy
10.50 Examples from different countries in the Baltic sea region
12.30 Lunch break
13.30 SESSION 2: Empowerment of communities: people, places, stories   
15.00 – 15.30 Coffee break   
15.30-16.30 Closing session 

DAY 2 Buss tour and visits
Friday, September 20

9.30–14.00 As part of the Faro seminar, we organize an on-site visit to cultural heritage sites and communities in the Helsinki capital region. 

We invite you to take part in the visit to Jokiniemi Ancient Park, a major archaeological stone age settlement along the river Keravanjoki. Jokiniemi is an Adopt a monument -site, which is a scheme to help facilitate the active involvement of communities in the conservation and interpretation of their local cultural heritage sites. The park tells about the thousand-year history of the area, e.g., with the help of a mobile game designed for elementary school pupils. The city museum of Vantaa as well as schools and NGOs in the area participate in the cultural heritage work. 

From Jokiniemi we continue to the Community house Puistokulma, which was built after the WW II by the local workers union. Community house is a collective name for all the houses built by various ideological associations like labor, youth, rural, temperance work and local associations as well as e.g., sports clubs and voluntary fire brigades. Openness is a characteristic feature for Community Houses - everyone is welcome!