Widening participation and increasing access to Cultural Heritage Activities in Georgia: Magnifying Impact.

自1991年苏联解体以来，后苏联社会不得不在具有挑战性的地缘政治变化时期就其后共产主义身份进行谈判，由于俄罗斯不愿接受格鲁吉亚独立，格鲁吉亚共和国遭受了特别严重的损失。事实上，目前约有20%的格鲁吉亚领土被俄罗斯占领，这种情况意味着格鲁吉亚社会由于几十年来陷入冻结的冲突而受到额外的政治、社会和经济压力。一系列的经济冲击，最近是2019冠状病毒病大流行的影响导致的全球经济衰退，对格鲁吉亚社会的各个方面产生了负面影响，该国主要的农业经济一直在多样化，以吸引生态旅游和葡萄酒爱好者和户外活动爱好者的图尔斯之旅的资金。旅游业突然停止使用外汇，与新冠疫情失控导致外国援助削减（例如终止全球挑战研究基金）有关，导致格鲁吉亚遗产部门的财务状况更加不稳定。格鲁吉亚国家博物馆目前因国家艺术博物馆（https：//www.taga.ge/en/news/2021/2068）的状况而处于危机之中，该博物馆是格鲁吉亚国家博物馆的一部分，也是第比利斯的一个重要地标，更严重的是，文化部长试图将所有文化遗产机构置于执政的格鲁吉亚梦想政党的控制之下（https：//news.artnet.com/art-world/jues-fired-from-state-run-museums-in-georgia-2124928）。该联盟报告说，专家职位由检察官而不是博物馆专业人员填补，这种情况目前仍在持续，尚未解决。面对这些严峻的财政和社会挑战，GNM教育部的工作比以往任何时候都更加重要。PI，Co-Is和教育团队一直在与全国各地的学校教师联系，了解他们需要什么样的教学包，以帮助他们将考古和艺术历史材料纳入课程计划。这一外联活动包括在第比利斯的格鲁吉亚博物馆举办日间课程，传授利用博物馆环境进行教育的良好做法-参加过课程的教师现在有能力规划在博物馆或其他遗产地教学的课程，并学会了如何使用探究式学习和实物式学习方法来鼓励独立学习技巧。除了支持教师和为策展工作人员提供课程，使他们学习如何以更有成效和更友好的方式与教师接触外，该项目迄今还为境内流离失所儿童提供了一日游和暑期学校（国内难民），来自族裔或宗教少数群体，来自偏远农村社区或在社会护理系统中的人。所有这些方法都是自2017年由埃克塞特大学提供种子资金的试点项目开始以来开发的。2019年收到AHRC网络补助金使我们能够进一步扩大项目，并覆盖格鲁吉亚的更多社区，但于2022年3月结束，社会对这项外展工作的需求比以往任何时候都大。2020年阿塞拜疆和亚美尼亚之间的战争加剧了当地的紧张局势，并破坏了格鲁吉亚南部的局势，那里有相当大的阿塞拜疆人和亚美尼亚人社区生活在同一领土上。因此，全球监测网络与PI和联合王国协调员进行了接触，询问是否可以在Samtskhe-Javakheti省和克韦莫·卡尔特利省大幅扩大早期工作，以便通过当地学校促进包容性和多样性。这一影响后续资金旨在通过一项教育方案促进不同社区的和平共处，该方案突出了该地区几个世纪的合作与互动。

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 post-Soviet societies have had to negotiate their post-Communist identities during a period of challenging geopolitical changes, and the Republic of Georgia has suffered particularly badly due to the reluctance of Russia to accept Georgian independence. In fact approximately 20% of Georgian territory is currently occupied by Russia and this situation means that there are additional political, societal and economic strains on Georgian society caused by decades of being enmeshed in a frozen conflict. A series of economic shocks, most recently the global downturn caused by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, has negatively impacted all aspects of Georgian society where a largely agrarian economy had been diversifying to attract funding from eco-tourism and tours for wine-lovers and outdoor pursuits enthusiasts. The sudden cessation of foreign currency from tourism, linked to cuts in foreign aid (for example ending Global Challenges Research Fund) coming as it did as Covid rates spiralled out of control, have led to an even more precarious financial position for the heritage sector in Georgia. The Georgian National Museum (GNM) is currently in crisis over the condition of the State Art Museum ( https://www.agenda.ge/en/news/2021/2068) which is part of the GNM and a significant Tbilisi landmark and, even more seriously, due to the fact that the Minister of Culture is trying to bring all cultural heritage agencies under the control of the ruling Georgian Dream political party (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/employees-fired-from-state-run-museums-in-georgia-2124928). The union reports that specialist posts are being filled by prosecutors rather than museum professionals and the situation is currently ongoing and unresolved.In the face of these severe financial and societal challenges, the work of the Education Department of the GNM is more important than ever before. The PI, Co-Is, and education team have been liaising with schoolteachers across the country on what kind of teaching packs they need to help them incorporate archaeological and art historical materials in their lesson plans. This outreach has involved running day courses at the Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi to teach good practice in using museum contexts for educational purposes - teachers who have attended now have the skills to plan lessons for teaching in museums or other heritage sites and have learned how to use enquiry-based learning and object-based learning methodologies to encourage independent learning techniques. As well as supporting teachers and also offering sessions to curatorial staff, so that they learn how to engage with teachers in a more productive and collegiate manner, the project has thus far involved day trips and summer schools for children who are internally displaced (domestic refugees), from ethnic or religious minorities, from remote rural communities or who are in the social care system.All these methods have been developed since a pilot project began in 2017 with seed funding from the University of Exeter. The receipt of an AHRC Networking Grant in 2019 allowed us to expand the project further and reach more communities across Georgia but ended in March 2022, with the societal need for this outreach work now greater than ever. The 2020 war between Azerbaijan and Armenia has enflamed local tensions and destabilised the situation in southern Georgia where there are sizable communities of ethnic Azeris and Armenians living in the same territories. Therefore, the GMN has approached the PI and UK Co-I to ask if the earlier work could be expanded substantially in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli provinces with the aim of promoting inclusivity and diversity via local schools. This impact follow-on funding is intended to promote the peaceful co-habitation of disparate communities through an educational programme that highlights the centuries of co-operation and interaction in the region.