Working Groups

Working Groups

FRH Working Groups

FRH working groups bring together FRH members and non-members active in the religious heritage sector, with the aim of fostering collaborative work on a European level and providing up-to-date and relevant recommendations on key challenges.

Cyprus Working Group

The Cyprus Working Group carries out a mapping of best practices addressing the complex and highly contested nature of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue in Cyprus, with a focus on the management and safeguarding of the country’s religious heritage sites. The experience gained via this working group will open the opportunity to analyse best case practices for countries that have undergone delicate political circumstances and to develop solutions for them, for example for countries in the Western Balkans.

In the next months, the working group will provide a blueprint for successful collaborative projects between the cultural, social, linguistic, and religious divisions present in the country, with the aim of also being a useful resource for other countries that have suffered armed conflicts and political divisions in the past. 

The Working Group is composed of:

  • Silvia Aulet
  • Joseph Elders
  • Lilian Grootswagers
  • Jennie Hawks
  • Tharik Hussain
  • Thorsten Kruse

 

Young Professionals and Researchers Working Group

The Young Professionals and Researchers Working Group (YPWG) was established in December 2023, building on the momentum of the European Year of Youth 2022. Founded by Samidha Pusalkar, the group aims to empower and advocate for emerging talents in the religious heritage field, ensuring their concerns, perspectives, and insights are represented in FRH initiatives.

In its first year, the YPWG published the international position paper ‘Building a Future in Religious Heritage‘, which highlights the needs of young professionals in the sector. The paper offers a comprehensive analysis of career barriers and presents actionable recommendations to equip young professionals with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed to thrive in cultural and religious heritage.

Now in its second year, with 15 members, the group continues to drive meaningful change and work toward its shared mission. Its new work plan revolves around a new research-driven report that will examine the state of heritage education at three different levels -school, undergraduate, and postgraduate- to identify key gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.

The Working Group is currently composed of:

  • Jana Zarkovic
  • Pelagia Spyridonidou
  • Fatemeh Hedieh Arfa
  • Eleanor Nail
  • Jacolien Wubs
  • Vanesa Menéndez Montero
  • Samidha Pusalkar (Coordinator)
  • Davide Dimodugno
  • Alice Latham
  • Inge Basteleur
  • Sterre Berentzen
  • Boryana Ivanova
  • Morgan Ellis Leah
  • Meetali Gupta
  • Emma Collins