Activity 18: Heritage Scavenger Hunt
Overview of the activity
The heritage scavenger hunt is a structured do-it-yourself dive into an object, practice, site, event, building or person of cultural heritage. Using a form that they fill in, participants obtain a multifaceted perspective on cultural heritage. Methods of research include browsing the internet, interviewing people or going to museums, among other activities
Objectives
- Highlight the multiple perspectives on cultural heritage.
- Enhance one’s methods of online research.
- Exchange with people through interview settings.
- Demonstrate that the discovery of unknown information and knowledge can be fun.
| Duration (in minutes) | Min/max number of participants | Room/space requirements |
| The activity can be as short or long as you like. It might be a quick dive during a broader session or an assignment that involves more than one day, particularly if people are also interviewing other people (inside or outside the group). | This activity can be done with any number of participants. It can be done individually, in pairs or in small groups. |
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| Minimum knowledge requirements of participants | Materials needed | Preparation |
| None required | None required | Exploring heritage is an individual exercise, including a diversity of research methods. Have examples ready to look into, so people can see the diversity of approaches. You can showcase the REBELAH infosheets as examples.If this is not homework, make sure you have devices available for the participants to engage in different research methods within the assignment (by interviewing peers, by leaving the classroom to take photos, etc.). |
Instructions
- Introduce the concept of cultural heritage by using one of the icebreakers suggested in this Activity Book (such as Concentric Circles or Drawing a Monument).
- Ask participants to choose a heritage element: a) they feel they do not know a lot about, but would like to know more about, or b) that is very close to them and they would like others to know more about. Depending on the time availability and the content of the training, you could ask participants to do both.
- Tell participants they will engage with heritage and history, and that in order to do so, they will be researching their heritage element of choice. Discuss possible sources of information by addressing the following questions (you can use other questions as well):
- How do you want to engage others in your research?
- What does the news say about your heritage element of choice?
- Who might be experts in your heritage element of choice?
- Are there short films on YouTube or other sites?
- Can social media provide insights?
- What other places might provide insights and information about your heritage element of choice?
- Depending on the language level of the group, open up a discussion about the validity of the information that can be provided by the different sources and about ‘who is an expert’.
- Ask participants to research their heritage element by filling out a heritage form with the following parts:
- Title of heritage element
- Pictures of the heritage element
- Biography/history of the element
- What does the news say?
- What does social media say?
- What do ‘experts say’?
- What do ‘people on the street’ say? (This can be done by interviewing peers)
- What is the participant’s personal account of the heritage element?
- Other relevant and or interesting information?
6. Ask participants to present the results of their research to each other
(this can be done orally, using a presentation, or in any way you feel would best fit the group).
Learning outcomes / evidence collected
Evaluation
Debrief with participants by sitting in a circle and allowing them to explain to each other how they felt during the activity, what they discovered about themselves and/or about others, if something surprised them, etc.
Teaching tips, stories and experiences during piloting
This activity is all about enthusing people to explore something, not so much about the actual outcome. Encourage participants to explore the heritage element in any way they wish, and if they feel creative, even through the arts (writing a poem or a song about it, painting a picture, etc.).