In 2022 the Heritage Hero Awards turned 5 years old. What started as a 6-project pilot scheme has turned into a great success story for Archaeology Scotland, with almost 15,000 people across Scotland now having received an Award.
In 2016 the Archaeology Scotland learning team developed and piloted the Heritage Hero Award, an award designed to reward purposeful youth engagement in archaeology, history and heritage, giving heritage its own reward and point, and positioning it as an important part of youth work and education, placing it closer to the mainstream. The Award was well received by its target audiences and quickly the intended 6 pilot projects, expanded to 23 completed projects and 765 awardees by the end of the year.
Following this successful pilot, the Heritage Hero Awards officially launched in January 2017, to coincide with Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. Due to demand from partners the Awards changed from a youth award to one open to all, with Awardees currently ranging from 4-84. Since their launch, the awards have seen almost 15,000 awardees, with around 50 more projects currently underway. We’ve worked hard over the last few years to increase award partnerships and reach areas which previously had little uptake of the award, projects have now been completed in 31 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, including some cross-border projects.
Something we have been exceptionally proud of is the role of the Awards in championing accessibility in heritage and archaeology. The awards are deliberately designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, age or background. They encourage a breakdown of barriers to participation, through the flexibility of the award scheme, the fact written work is not a requirement, and they are not an academic assessed award.
The Awards have been popular with groups with additional support needs and facing barriers to inclusion and have been used as part of outdoor learning programmes in schools designed to work toward closing the Attainment Gap.
Despite the schemes expansion to include adults, young people remain the key focus for the awards. The Heritage Hero Awards play an important role in keeping archaeology and heritage in the educational mainstream. Young people offer different viewpoints, opinions, attitudes and abilities that can shape the interpretation of our archaeology and heritage in a profound way. Engagement also helps foster a lifelong interest in the past, important for safeguarding our heritage for the future and helping encourage the next generation of heritage professionals.
What’s next for the Heritage Hero Awards? During the lockdowns of the last few years, numbers nosedived. We introduced guidance to support groups to continue and adapt to suit restrictions and saw a steady stream of groups continue to complete their Awards. In 2021 numbers completing projects have increased by a very encouraging 180%, based on last year’s figures. Despite the challenges of restrictions and lockdowns, Covid-19 has highlighted future opportunities for digital engagement, making Awards more accessible for individuals struggling to work in groups for geographical, or other reasons. We intend to continue supporting these projects going forward, and we’re currently delivering more digital training sessions and supporting more isolated individuals through projects.
Image 2. Project Themes chosen by Heritage Heroes over the last five years
We’re always looking to increase our audience, and over the next few years hope to see projects across all local authorities in Scotland (we’re looking at you Shetland!) and support some pilot projects elsewhere in the UK. We also hope to support more projects from groups of people who are new to heritage, creating new audiences for the sector.
Want to know more?
More information, including the Heritage Hero Awards Handbook and some inspiring case studies are available on our webpage – https://archaeologyscotland.org.uk/learning/heritage-hero-awards/.
If you’re interested in registering a project, training opportunities or have any other Awards related questions please contact awards@archaeologyscoltand.org.uk
