Summary

• Adopt a particular monument to help save it from further deterioration;
• build conservation awareness and knowledge in school curricula.

Target group
This activity is primarily aimed at teachers for students age 14-17.

Before the project

• Select a monument for your class to adopt. Suggestions:
  • a building of notable architecture (church, palace, public building, city hall, station, industrial building);
  • a sculpture (statue, fountain, tomb, bust);
  • a garden;
  • an archaeological site;
  • artistically, historically, and/or socially interesting;
  • directly connected to local history
  • in proximity to the school is an important factor.
• prepare in-class activities that involve:
  • historical significance;
  • value for the community;
  • artistic significance;
  • state of its conservation.
• make connections with conservation professionals who are involved in the care of the monument, or other similar ones;
• arrange at least one special tour of the monument for your students, focusing on its conservation issues.

During the project
Study phase: Introduce the concept of adoption and conservation in your classroom:

• talk about the meaning of adoption, by defining:
  • the symbolism involved;
  • regard it as your own (or belonging to your class),
  • study it and get to know it;
  • make it known to other people;
  • love it, take care of it, and protect it;
• discuss the role of monuments in public life, and why people build them. Conduct research across various disciplines in the classroom.

Action phase: Get students to improve the conditions of the monument:

• visit the monument regularly;
• remove rubbish hindering the site;
• interact with the community around the site. Share what you have learned;
• write letters to authorities, and to the media;
• create plays for the public to educate them about the monument and the fragility of cultural heritage.

Follow-up

• Establish a regular heritage working day for the school;
• offer regular student-guided tours of the monument;
• set the students to conduct a public questionnaire to see if their work has improved public knowledge of the monument;
• students could prepare guidebooks or websites for the public;
• they could develop an exhibition about the monument’s state of preservation.

updated on: 8 August, 2006