Please select Recommendations and/or countries from the drop-down list on the right side.

Back Promoting an active commitment to heritage – Mediaeval history and architecture worksites (Chantiers histoire et architecture mediévales – CHAM)

Promoting an active commitment to heritage – Mediaeval history and architecture worksites (Chantiers histoire et architecture mediévales – CHAM)

Location of the initiative:

 FRANCE


Relation to Strategy 21 Recommendations:

S8 - Encourage heritage rehabilitation initiatives by local communities and authorities


Brief description of the initiative:

Founded in 1980, which was Heritage year in France, the national association Chantiers Histoire & Architecture Mediévales (C.H.A.M) takes action to promote the built heritage.

The association organises different types of projects: voluntary worksites (in spring and summer), school workshops, integration programmes, technical training courses and lectures and so on. It also organises heritage awareness workshops in schools.

The association supports the national Universal Civic Service scheme, assigning volunteers to long-term worksites or to the projects office.

The C.H.A.M intervenes at the request of local, regional or national authorities which own monuments and draws up partnership agreements with them for the work to be done.

C.H.A.M is a non-profit association approved by the Ministry of Culture, with national Youth and Popular Education certification and the endorsement of the Civic Service Agency. In 2018 it was awarded the European Year of Cultural Heritage seal of approval.

The volunteer worksites are open to anyone wishing to devote some of their time to protecting and restoring built heritage. They provide an enriching human experience for the volunteers, thanks to the cultural diversity of the participants and the importance of team work on site.

​No prior training is required: supervisors are there to explain everything and train the participants on the job.

This experience of field work is an opportunity for the volunteers to familiarise themselves with stonemasonry and bricklaying techniques, how to make mortar and so on. It gives them first-hand understanding of the different challenges involved in heritage conservation. It is a formative experience which also benefits the community, by helping to save and restore run-down buildings which form part of the local heritage and belong to local authorities who cannot afford to restore them on their own. It is a unique way to spend one’s holidays while at the same time doing something practical and useful for the heritage.


Objectives of the initiative:

  • Education, training of volunteers (developing their responsibility and autonomy and learning technical skills) and raising awareness in local officials and inhabitants
  • social and vocational integration
  • lasting protection and restoration of buildings

Brief assessment of the initiative’s results:

  • Over 150 projects working on private or public monuments, religious or secular
  • 80 civic service initiatives per year, in France and overseas
  • 225 volunteers per year
  • Over 200 members every year

Online resources:


Contact

National Delegation
5-7, rue Guilleminot
75014 PARIS
Tel.: 01 43 35 15 51
cham@cham.asso.fr

Filter by
Components
1. THE ”SOCIAL COMPONENT” (S)
S1
S10
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
S7
S8
S9
2. THE “TERRITORIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT” COMPONENT (D)
D1
D10
D11
D2
D3
D4
D5
D6
D7
D8
D9
3. THE “KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION COMPONENT” (K)
K1
K10
K11
K2
K3
K4
K5
K6
K7
K8
K9
Countries and International Organisations
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Europe
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Holy See
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Moldova
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
Unesco
United Kingdom
Reset Filter

The golden collection of good practices