Youth Volunteers in Cultural Heritage

Preservation
Background
The Youth Volunteers in Cultural
Heritage Preservation project seeks to
contribute to the long-term conservation
of My Son Sanctuary, Hoi An Ancient
Town, and the Bay of Ha Long, three of
Vietnam’s World Heritage Areas (WHA),
by raising cultural heritage awareness
Name: among surrounding populations, building
Youth Volunteers in the capacity of youth volunteers to
Cultural Heritage promote and conserve cultural heritage,
Preservation
and by identifying linkages between
cultural heritage activities and income-generating opportunities for local
Number:
VIE/02/V02 populations.
Site: The project evolved through the recognition that Vietnam’s WHAs face a
Hanoi, My Son number of threats attributable to a lack of awareness of their importance
Sanctuary, Hoi An
Ancient Town and Ha and a lack of incentive to preserve them by surrounding communities.
Long Bay Educating surrounding populations about the value of these areas is thus
Start Date: paramount in ensuring their long-term conservation.
October 2003
End Date: Recognizing that addressing these issues required multiple areas of
October 2005 expertise, UNVolunteers, UNESCO Vietnam and Vietnam’s Youth Union
UNV Inputs: jointly developed the project approach; the roles of each project partner
$300,000
Total Budget: were determined by the special set of knowledge and experience they
$300,000 were able to bring to the project.
Executing Agency:
UNV
Implementing Agency: Approach
UNESCO Vietnam The National UN Volunteers will act as facilitators in a training program
Government directed at Youth Volunteers. Training will take place in the form of
Counterpart:
Youth Union consultative workshops where participants are first familiarized with
cultural heritage preservation concepts, then map the cultural resources
of their community and finally draw up action plans to address issues of
concern. The same approach will also be used in school based programs
which will be facilitated by Youth Volunteers and monitored by the
NUNVs.
In addition, Youth Volunteers will form Youth Volunteer Groups, which will
assist in activities related to the conservation of the WHAs. For example,
they will assist in strengthening existing public information centers, help in
the dissemination and preparation of educational materials etc. They will
also be involved in strengthening existing site specific projects within the
WHAs in which they can make a meaningful contribution as well as
increasing their knowledge of cultural heritage preservation.
Income generating linkages between cultural products and activities will
be identified throughout Youth Volunteer activities with community
groups. Emphasis will be given to income generating opportunities that
the WHAs provide and the marketing of culturally related products and
activities. For example, woodcarving and pottery products have been
identified as having particular potential in the My Son and Hoi An area.
The project will attempt to reach beyond its original two year
implementation period by building the capacity of the Youth Union to the
point where the Youth Union is able to continue activities in cultural
heritage preservation without external assistance.

Anticipated Results
It is expected that this unique combination of technical knowledge at the
UNESCO Vietnam office, and volunteer spirit at UNVolunteers and the
Youth Union will reduce pressure on the WHAs by having:
· Increased local awareness of the value of local Cultural Heritage and
increased capacity of youth volunteers in making meaningful contributions
to cultural heritage preservation; and
· Increase knowledge among the local population about how their cultural
heritage can contribute to incomes.
Related article: A Youth Union member from Ha Long City shares with us
her experience in becoming a youth volunteer in the prroject [click here]