Our Objectives are to:
1. Highlight examples of good practice. European host partners will present their activities and methods of providing creative training in crafts while encouraging participants to appreciate the cultural connections behind these skills.
2 Explore the added value of developing close associations with the creative industries throughout Europe (i.e. bridging the gap between education and real working businesses and practitioners).
3. Encourage entrepreneurship and business start ups in the cultural sector. Hosts will present their own schemes and systems for encouraging real-work placements for their own trainees.
4. Explore the value of cultural/creative crafts in the rural environment.
5. Provide trainers and training planners working in the cultural, craft and heritage sectors in the UK with an opportunity to visit other European training providers who are facing similar challenges.
6. To enable beneficiaries to draw conclusions and comparisons between the UK and host country in terms of training delivery, health and safety, formal and informal environments and the use of social dialogue to stimulate the exchange of ideas in the work place.
7. Encourage trainers to consider including a larger cultural heritage component to their training provision. This should aim to provide an appreciation of the region's cultural heritage (related to the skills training provided) as well as placing this cultural identity in the context of a wider European shared heritage.
8. To ultimately instill a sense of European citizenship in the UK trainees.
9. To provide trainers with innovative ideas and an approach to training delivery, which complement the LSC, DCMS and EC strategies.
10. To address issues in the wider cultural landscape (i.e., the social catchment to the west), which have elements of environment, culture and community and together are a cornerstone of sustainable rural development.

Eligibility

The following placements have been developed with the international partners of Grampus, over the last 8 years. The CHAT Leonardo Da Vinci trainer exchange provides funded exchange visits for UK trainers to visit organisations in other European countries, to exchange best practice and to establish new contacts and partnerships for future cooperation. CHAT placements are available for trainers in natural and cultural heritage management, traditional skills, crafts, archaeology and teaching. If you feel that you or your organisation would benefit from participation in a CHAT exchange, then applicants are advised to act quickly and complete an application form obtainable from Grampus Heritage. The themes revolve around contemporisation of traditional skills, empowerment of young people, cultural tourism and management of the cultural landscape for rural regeneration

The Funding

The placements are 1 week long and are funded by the EU Leonardo Da Vinci scheme, so return UK flights, insurance, accommodation, food (3 meals a day) and airport transfers in the receiving country are covered.

The countries in which CHAT placements are available are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Romania, and Slovakia..

Traditional pottery Bulgaria	Velia, Italy. Site left open for public to walk around

Bulgaria Partner: Devetaki Plateau Association, Velislava (Velis) Chilingirova Dates: Between 20th - 31st July TBC Placement Itinerary: A chance to meet pottery tutors and a chance to go to the Open Air Museum in Etara, home of the local Crafts Fair. Visits to culturally important sites. Archaeological sites. A chance to see how heritage is displayed and taught to the public and how museums and professionals engage with the public. More information about the Association is available on their website

Cyprus Partner: Hylates Ltd, Thomas Hadjikyriakou; Lefkara Tourism Association

Dates: Grp 1 16/03/2012 - 23/03/2012, Grp 2 21/05/2012 - 28/05/2012, Grp 3 08/10/2012 - 15/10/2012 Placement Itinerary

Czech Republic Partner: Apple Farm, Rudolf Zidek Dates: 16th - 23rd July Placement Itinerary: Self sustainable small holding. Horticultural and environmental activities at the farm (2-3 days), visits to interesting places depending on groups interests, visiting local towns of Litomysl and Policka (castle, gardens, museums, local brewery) and last day in Prague. A bit more: The farm has its own orchards, herb garden, strawberry spiral, vegetable plots. An amphitheatre built in previous years provides an area for entertainment and outdoor classes. Please see the DESIRE page for more information.

Finland Partner: Kierikki Stone Age Centre Dates: TBC Placement Itinerary: working on the excavation, working in the Centre and visiting wooden villages along the coast, museum visits. There may also be a chance to see their education programme in action or at least discuss the education programme and see how it compares to UK organisations and exchange ideas about best ways to inform the public and students. This is TBC. A bit more: A Stone Age Village allows visitors to see the techniques used and the materials utilised for tools. There are reconstructed houses which have been built using archaeological data. Click here to visit their website.

Germany Partner: Bildungsstatte Naturpark Dubener Heide Dates: TBC Placement Itinerary: TBC Though the group will have the chance to take part in and see the Wood festival in which local artists use local wood and materials to create sculptures. The itinerary can be organised to include the groups interests and can include farming, woodland management, traditional skills and others. For an example of the work Bildungsstatte Naturpark does in the area, please see the DESIRE page.

Iceland Partner: Skalanes Nature Reserve Dates: 29th July - 4th August Placement Itinerary: TBC. Can be tailored to the groups interests. A bit more: Skalanes is situated within its own 1250 hectare nature reserve surrounded by fjords, allowing the study of different habitats, surveys of the area. There are goals towards self sufficiency and they are currently developing a small holding. Skalanes is a site that is set up for research study and activities, such as tourism, ecology, bird colonies, Eider farming, stone walling and plenty more. More information can be found on the Skalanes website.

Ireland Partner: Sylviron Dates: Late August - Early September TBC Placement Itinerary: The group will visit the site where our student group work, using traditional wood working techniques and equipment to help construct a wooden building. The site has other buildings that have been built by past students which the group will see. The group will also be taken around the area to visit other local wood based projects as well as experiencing the cultural heritage through various site/museum visits. This is TBC. A bit more: The placement will be hosted by a woodworker and forester whose projects include "From Tree To Timber Products". Working with students, the site has its own little woodland and there are a lot of items on the site that have been made by the owner- gates, furniture, bridges etc. For more information about the site and area, please see the TICATEC page

Romania Partner: Satul Verde Dates: 5th - 11th August Placement Itinerary :Visit the museum in Avram Iancu and see their collection of artefacts plus the recently restored house of this Romanian national hero and an old watermill next door, hay meadow visits and making, drive along the Aries river to Girda de Sus and briefly visit the wooden church undergoing restoration, drive to Girbovita to a typical farm and take part in a day of traditional skills. A bit more: The association was formed in 2010 and its main purpose is to promote the Romanian culture and traditions as well as the less known rural areas. To achieve its purpose, the association undertakes the following activities: organisation of camps, festivals, congresses, conferences, seminars, courses, workshops, competitions, exhibitions, fairs plus much more. More information about the association can be found on its website.

 

Czech Republic - Bark	Germany - Woodland management

 

If you or your organisation would benefit from taking part in a CHAT placement, including to a country that is not listed above, please contact us to discuss the available opportunities. The application form is available to download here.

NOTE: Participants on all of our placements will now require a European Health Insurance CARD (EHIC). CLICK HERE to visit the external website and apply for your EHIC online.

 

Grampus Heritage and Training Limited Ashgill, Threapland, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 2EL, England Telephone: 016973 21516 Fax: 016973 23040 Email: enquiries@grampusheritage.co.uk