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

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.