Why is reaching new audiences with archaeological fieldwork important? How can you develop and nurture relationships with new audiences? And how can you ensure that your new attendees have a good experience at your fieldwork events?
Ahead of the launch of Dig It!’s Scotland Digs 2024: International Connections campaign, Kieran Manchip, Project Officer at Archaeology Scotland, and Amina Okhai, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Digital Skills Project Worker at Dundee International Women’s Centre, shared their advice.
Over the last two years, Archaeology Scotland has been working hard on its New Audiences project with organisations like the Dundee International Women’s Centre, thanks to funding from Historic Environment Scotland. The central focus is to open-up archaeology to marginalised and displaced people, including people who were isolated by the pandemic and those who’ve recently made Scotland their home.
Why is Reaching New Audiences with Archaeological Fieldwork Important?
Archaeology Scotland are particularly keen to get new audiences (people who are socially isolated, refugees and migrants, etc) participating in archaeology because of the unique blend of benefits it can offer to those who participate. It can foster social connections, provide an opportunity for outdoor learning, help them develop teamworking skills, and give them an insight into local history and heritage (this placemaking can help new residents in particular feel more at home in Scotland). Engaging in workshops and fieldwork is also particularly helpful to those who are feeling isolated.
Amina Okhai added that that the most important part of her work is to provide learners with context and these archaeology projects helped her to do that. She noted that mature students have a very limited amount of time in their day to devote to language learning and so, if they’ve engaged with the natural environment and people around them in their classes, the lessons are more likely to stay with them.
From her point of view, other benefits of the project include:
- Providing learners with a sense of belonging
- Helping them develop a connection to where they live
- Reducing isolation
- Creating connections between their old culture and their new one
- Increasing confidence and fostering curiosity
When learners are supported, there’s also a mutual exchange between the organisations – learners benefit from the archaeology organisations, while enhancing the archaeological research and their workforce.
How Can You Develop and Nurture Relationships with New Audiences?
According to Kieran, key to the success of their New Audiences projects was introducing the participant groups to the idea of archaeology before the work began.
This was done with Archaeology Scotland’s Playing the Past project, which focused on the archaeology of football. As the most popular sport on the world, football is essentially a universal language. 59 volunteers from 14 different countries participated in the project, some of whom had recently arrived in Scotland and had been living in hotels for seven or eight months and had limited social contact with anyone.
They teamed up with Jambo! Radio, The Welcoming, Scottish Guardianship Service, Pachedu Language Café, Gorbals Health Walk, Govan Community Project, and had support from South East Integration Network and Scottish Refugee Council’s New Scot’s Connect network to bring together people born and raised in the city as well as “new Glaswegians”.
The project expanded on the legacy and awareness of Andrew Watson, the first Black captain of an international football team, the first player of colour to win a major footballing competition and the first Black player to appear in the English FA Cup.
But before they got started, Kieran visited the language café (a space for volunteer refugee meet-ups) and met participants online, meaning he was able to break down barriers by explaining what to expect on site, what archaeology is, what they’d be doing, etc. He also addressed their concerns (whether there’d be space to pray, etc) and asked them what archaeology means in their language and what archaeological sites they were familiar with. Kieran recommends that the archaeologist in these introductory sessions is also on site on the day that the participants are present to keep that connection going.
Kieran also highlighted the importance of covering costs. Lunches were provided by MILK café (a local social enterprise) and Archaeology Scotland covered transport costs by issuing bus passes, which participants could also use outside of getting to and from the dig. An asylum seeker in Scotland has just under £10 a week to spend, so this bus pass was a lifeline for many.
Kieran and Amina also talked about the importance of co-designing projects when trying to reach new audiences.
From September to December 2023, Archaeology Scotland worked closely with the Dundee International Women’s Centre’s to develop an “Introduction to the Archaeology of Dundee” element for their ESOL classes.
According to Amina, ESOL learners come from all kinds of socio-economic circumstances, but all audiences have history, knowledge and stories from their own countries (which they often can’t express due to language barriers).
But co-designing meant that the activities and lessons were developed to give the participants an opportunity to apply their unique skill sets and experiences.
The Bangladeshi ESOL participants, for example, were able to speak on the connection between Bangladeshi textile heritage and Dundee’s jute industry.
In terms of resources, Kieran also recommends Make Your Mark (particularly the Inclusive Volunteering Toolkit) and New Scots Connect run by the Refugee Council where people can advertise and link in with other local organisations that support New Scots.
Amina noted that Scotland is rich in its culture and its heritage hasn’t been built in isolation. It has benefited from economic migration and investment from the rest of the world. ESOL learners are proud of who they are and where they come from, and they want to engage with how their culture may have contributed to Scotland as it is today.
This is evident in the exchange that comes out of these co-designed workshops. The experience becomes holistic and authentic.
Partnership working is key for these projects. It’s important for archaeologists to get support from their codesign partners – these leaders know their group, so make space and time to discuss their needs before the event. And don’t forget to discuss your shared objectives throughout.
In terms of reaching out to these groups, Kieran recommends a friendly email explaining what you are doing, why you want to include their group/service users, and what they will get out of it. If you can cover some costs, then say that too but Kieran knows that is not always possible.
How to Ensure that Your New Attendees Have a Good Experience at Your Fieldwork Events
Amina recommends that fieldwork organisers be honest about difficult topics (e.g. exploitation in Dundee’s Jute production). It’s important to educate yourself and be aware of potential trigger points. Learn from your co-hosts and trust in them to know their communities and their needs.
She also recommends that you grade the language you use. Reduce technical terms and acronyms, and take people’s abilities into account when you describe something. Don’t assume people will know slang or local terms either.
If you’re worried about needing translators at an event, don’t be. Just make sure you have lots of visuals. Translating can actually isolate, for example, we don’t want the Ukrainian participant to only speak to the Ukrainian translator and the Iraqi volunteer to only speak to the Iraqi translator.
Amina also highlighted the importance of ensuring that there’s enough time for these activities or visits. You can’t make meaningful change in two hours. Double it, at least. Also be mindful of when your events are held. The women at Dundee International Women’s Centre tend to look after children and so they have to start around 9:30am and finish by 2:15pm.
Also be clear about what you have and don’t have in terms of access when advertising the event (e.g. indoor spaces and toilets). Do consider mirroring sessions for disabled visitors. You may run a morning and afternoon session that run slightly differently to cater to accessibility needs.
Scotland Digs 2024: International Connections
This free webinar was part of Scotland Digs 2024: International Connections, the sixth iteration of the marketing campaign coordinated by Dig It! to promote the summer fieldwork season.
Scotland Digs 2024: International Connections advertises fieldwork events to the public and showcases archaeological work being carried across the country (even if it’s not open to the public) from 20 June to 23 September 2024. If you’d like to get involved, please contact DigIt@socantscot.org.
Dig It! is coordinated by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and primarily funded by Historic Environment Scotland.
(Find out more about our New Audiences project here, or contact Kieran at k.manchip@archaeologyscotland.org.uk.)
