As support for the dissemination of good practices and the drafting of the regional action plan, Local Flavours stakeholders from Lake Saimaa area gathered on the 18th November in an online workshop to formulate actions necessary for the valorization of regional local heritage values. The workshop gathered over 30 enthusiastic participants.
Workshop organized by the Local Flavours project team in cooperation with the rural advisory agency ProAgria touched themes that many stakeholders are elaborating and turned out to be a success. Participants represented a variety of interests including entrepreneurs in creative industries, local museum and heritage sector operators, public officials and also representatives of national agencies, including the National Museum of Finland (operating Olavinlinna Castle as a museum in Savonlinna).
On the basis of the analysis of needs and expectations discovered in the workshop, Local Flavours project will be able to match and disseminate information about good practices discovered in the project with those stakeholders most likely to benefit from the knowledge exchange. Simultaneously, based on the numerous ideas and proposals put forth in the workshop, Local Flavours team in Savonlinna will formulate actions for the regional action plan to be compiled during the winter and circulated for feedback in the spring 2021. The process started on a very opportune moment, when several ambitious project in the field are starting in the area. These include the Savonlinna bid for European Capital of Culture 2026, nomination of Lake Saimaa on the national tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage and several related project in the field of cultural heritage.
Workshop participants shared the conviction that valorization of cultural heritage cannot be reduced to the goal of increasing visitor numbers of some attractions. Rather it is a participative creative process to be catalyzed and facilitated. It will have a wide impact on the region in the form of increased self-esteem, enhanced identity, innovation and creativity and obviously as a result also on the promotion of the region as an attractive tourism destination and a place to live.
As such, the collaborative process for the valorization of cultural heritage started now as the first of its kind in Finland. ”We were really happy that there was such a wide consensus about the great significance of cultural heritage for our region and its potential for commercialization”, concluded Local Flavours project manager Susanna Peura.
In the first workshop (of a total of two), a consensus was found that lake environment and water are the binding theme for the region. Although participants came from a wide area ranging c. 200 km in circumference, it was discovered that people are involved with similar pursuits and ambitions and share similar values and goals. The opportunity to share information about their own activities generated lively interaction and encouraged participants to think, if their activities could be scaled up for a wider region or shared to wider regional networks of stakeholders. The aim of the second workshop in 2021 is to develop some ideas presented into a proposal for action and new projects.
The facilitator of the workshop Ph.D. Laura Puolamäki from ProAgria emphasized that with the methodology of action networking it will be possible to form local initiatives wider shared objectives and goals with a bottom-up approach. Local actors have rich experience and ideas they would like to promote. Sharing and joining forces will empower local actors to carry on with their efforts and result into something bigger and more visible with higher impact on the livelihood of people. ”Our team of three experts from ProAgria will be able to support stakeholders especially with their expertise on cultural heritage and cultural landscapes preservation as well as tested methodology for rural development” Ph.D. Puolamäki pointed out.
