البرامج الرئيسية
الشبكة الوطنية
France
Address
142 rue de RivoliTelephone
+33 7 87 41 11 51E-Mail (2)
elise@heritagecivilisation.frMobile Phone
+33787411151Website
Click HereOrganisation Type
Non-Governmental OrganizationYear of Establishment
2017مجالات النشاط
Heritage, International/Cultural relations, Youth and educationGeneral Information
Heritage & Civilisation was founded in 2017. The association is a member of UNESCO Associations and Clubs and has been awarded the “Youth and Popular Education” certification by the French Ministry of Education. Over the years, we have developed partnerships with public and private schools, the network of Lycées Français, as well as local secondary schools across the Mediterranean, embassies, museums, and Instituts français.
We are structured around a permanent team and a board of directors, and are supported by scientific, ethical, and diplomatic committees. We bring together a wide range of expertise relevant to the fields of diplomacy, education sciences, the protection and promotion of cultural heritage and cultural industries.
We operate at the intersection of heritage and education. Our mission is rooted in society and in intercultural dialogue, building bridges between Mediterranean youth and their local cultural realities and heritage.
Mission and Objectives
Heritage & Civilisation develops programmes to raise awareness of, preserve, and pass on cultural heritage, particularly to young people. Through three complementary branches, we carry out field missions, develop educational programmes, and support research in order to safeguard endangered cultural treasures and transmit their value to future generations. In response to heritage emergencies, we take action to document and protect sites, collaborate with local communities in a spirit of sharing, and promote the enhancement of heritage as a driver of peace and dialogue.
Our educational mission also aims to promote careers in culture and heritage across the Mediterranean region. We enable pupils to exchange views on their culture and heritage, while discovering cultural and creative professions that transform this heritage into contemporary creation.
Main Projects / Activities
Our flagship initiative is the Programme Odyssée, which has been running since 2017 in France and across the Mediterranean region. The programme benefits from the support of local and institutional partners in Italy, Albania, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Lebanon, and has also reached young people in Syria and Palestine through local networks. It offers pupils an educational and cultural pathway made up of four modules, through which they explore the concept of heritage in all its richness and diversity (natural, intangible, and more). Educational content is made available to teachers and parents, who can follow their children’s progress and explore the material themselves via the Odyssée platform. The Odyssée platform was developed with the support of the Deloitte Foundation and represents a significant advancement in the field of EdTech. Currently available only in French, it has been designed for translation into multiple languages. The Odyssée pathway can be adapted to a range of themes, including the environment, ocean protection, the memory of former combatants, and cinema.
As part of our field missions, Lara-Scarlett Gervais, founder of Heritage & Civilisation, has carried out assignments in areas where heritage has been damaged by natural disasters or conflict, for example following the 2023 earthquake in Turkey. Our field actions aim both to preserve cultural heritage and to provide support to populations affected by these catastrophes. This on-the-ground work enables us to collect testimonies from residents striving to rebuild their lives after disaster. Beyond documentation, these field missions form part of Heritage & Civilisation’s broader efforts to contribute to reconstruction and to protect endangered cultural heritage. We encourage everyone to discover these testimonies and to support the ongoing rehabilitation initiatives.
How can you contribute to the Network in your country?
We can contribute by sharing our expertise and experience in cultural diplomacy, intercultural dialogue, and cultural cooperation, developed through our missions in heritage safeguarding and cultural education.
We could also partner with fellow network members to make the Odyssée Programme available in cities where they are active across France, allowing other ALF network members to discover and engage with the initiative, and to open it up to the schools they work with in France or internationally.
Additionally, we can contribute by bringing experts and cultural professionals to events and panels, supporting the organisation of conferences and cultural activities, and mobilising our network in France and across the Mediterranean. These efforts would also help raise the profile of the ALF network.
Why do you want to join the ALF Network?
Joining the ALF Network aligns closely with the deep local and Mediterranean identity of our association and its missions. The project was born in Syria, where our founder and President, Lara-Scarlett Gervais, made a personal commitment to open doors for children who had known only war throughout their childhood.
Joining forces and bridging culture and education is essential for promoting humanity and dialogue across the region. In this, we resonate with the core purpose for which the Anna Lindh Foundation was established. It would be an honour to contribute at the French level, helping to make the network vibrant and committed to advancing cultural education and intercultural dialogue, and to promoting peace through culture and heritage.
Additional Information
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