From 15th to 17th May 2023, the UNESCO Capacity Building Workshop for Community Learning Centers in China on Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding was held in Ningbo City. The workshop was grounded on a previously established partnership between UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia (hereafter UNESCO Beijing) and Ningbo Vocational and Adult Education College to further bridge community learning centers (CLCs) with intangible cultural heritage (ICH) safeguarding. Professionals and educators from community learning centers, who are working in the field of intangible cultural heritage education, actively participated in the workshop.
The major outcome of the workshop was the transfer of skills and knowledge in intangible heritage of 25 staff from the Community learning to integrate intangible heritage in formal and non-formal education. The workshop empowered the participants with resources and guidelines to strengthen integration of cultural activities in community learning centers.
The main objectives of the capacity building workshop were to familiarize participants with fundamental concepts and principles to safeguard living heritage, to enlighten them on the linkages between ICH and sustainable development, and very importantly, to guide them in developing concrete actions that can put into practice at the grassroots level. The capacity building workshop was aligned towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4, particularly Target 4.7, which underlines the need for all learners to appreciate cultural diversity and understand the role of culture for sustainable development.